Bella Swan and the Tablet of Truth
by ladyeire3
Summary: Bella Swan, archeologist & resident snark wants to lose herself digging for history. Edward Cullen, vampire & protector of humans wants to find Bella & the ancient tablet she unearths before the Volturi do. Adventure, humor, and some citrusy action abound
1. Chapter 1 The Cave

All things related to the Twilight Saga are the sole property of Stephanie Meyer &/or her publisher. Things I own...two dogs w/ beer names (Guiness and Bass...no lie).

**Alrighty, this is my first multi-chapter fic and I'm a total nervous Nelly. For all of you who have encouraged me, held my hand via Twitter, or just made me laugh when I needed it...THANK YOU & this is for you...I really hope you're not disappointed;)**

**To my first beta and kindred spirit L-BB, I so couldn't have done this without you. You have been supportive and amazing through both my o/s and this. Your friendship is a true blessing...I 3 U BB!**

**To my second beta and fellow Robnabler 2littleladies-Through Skype and Twitter your words have hit home. I really appreciate you stepping in to help me grow as a writer and person. Your new friendship is soooo important! Oh, and I could so take you;)**

**I suppose the three other outstanding people I want to thank would be elusivetwilight/elusivekoolaid, LambCullen/Lambiexx, and Roselover24...Ladies you are all an inspiration and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support.**

**Now, on to the story...think Indiana Jones w/ boobs...sort of!**

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Bella Swan & the Tablet of Truth

Chapter 1

The Cave

The cave was damp and cool, putting it at odds with the seasonal warmth just outside the mouth. Weighted down with gear, Bella pointed her flashlight in the direction of the south wall where the dig's mammoth scaffolding stood. Taking a moment to appreciate the paintings her team was preserving, she pondered how many generations of people had called this shelter home. Shaking her head, she continued to pan around the open space until the darkness of the cave swallowed the glow.

"Felix, where do you need me today?" she asked.

The hulking shape of the dig foreman lumbered behind her, narrowly missing the trench that contained several students digging contentedly through the sandy soil. He was a bit of a mystery to everyone on site. Hired by the benefactors of the project, he kept their identities a closely guarded secret. In addition to his enormous size and propensity for intrigue, his voice held the slightest hint of an accent and he wore oddly tinted glasses no matter where he was. They wrapped around his face, effectively hiding any real glimpse of his eyes. Combined with his voice and size, the effect just made him seem creepier. Something about him always made Bella uneasy.

"Your area is roped off about 50 meters back," he barked, giving his statement the feel of an order.

"Thanks. Can I get some floods back there? I'll never be able to find anything with this little lantern."

"Yes, fine," he responded, and then turned back to the cave opening to snap orders at one of the many students milling about.

After a short time, Bella finished setting her site up with the proper lighting and began roping and marking her grid. She was nothing if not meticulous in her duties and the OCD she was teased about mercilessly growing up was a true benefit now.

Archaeology was a practice in patience, solitude and perfection. Bella often lost herself in the soil, forgetting the world around her in order to delve deeper into the knowledge hidden beneath mountains of sand, clay, and rock. This was her meditation, her escape from the pressure of parents, colleagues, and superiors. This was home.

Headphones on, she hummed quietly to her favorite tunes while continuing her careful digging well into the evening. Taking time to record her data with painstaking detail, she checked her finds against both her sketch of the area, and her catalogue.

So far she had found nothing out of the ordinary: a few shards of chiseled flint, animal bone, and petrified dung. They were searching for pieces of a long-dead culture that scholars had precious little information on and it seemed she'd have to dig through more ancient crap, quite literally, to come up with anything of value.

**-BS-**

From a few meters away Angela, Bella's friend and colleague called for her. Angela immediately recognized the specific hunch of Bella's shoulders and look of deep concentration etched on her dirt-smeared face. Her friend was so caught up in the thrill of the chase that she didn't even hear her name as Angela continued to raise her voice.

Angela was the opposite of Bella in almost every way possible. She was outgoing, outspoken, and tall, very tall. The only real similarity was the color of their hair and eyes. Angela had taken to calling Bella her "mini me" and Bella never tried to deny it. The five inch height difference was extremely pronounced when the two women stood beside one another. They were the closest of colleagues and friends, both of which they treasured and worked hard to maintain. Of course, when they were on the same dig it was quite easy. The strings of their friendship were strong enough to withstand long-term separation because once they were reunited it was as if no time had passed at all.

Angela shook her head, sighed, and laughed at her friend's lack of attention before walking close enough to touch her.

"SHIT, ANG! When the zebra's in the zone, leave her alone! Damn it, you could have said something." Bella panted and laughed.

Angela knew the shock of being snuck up on always left Bella temporarily without her verbal filter, which honestly only worked half the time anyway. She would concede that she was lucky Bella quoted Madagascar and not Boogie Nights this time.

"Bella, my dear deaf friend, did you really just quote an animated movie? You spend far too much time alone, woman. Back to the matter at hand, I did say something, a lot of somethings in fact, but as per the norm you were so wrapped up in what you were doing that you zoned the rest of us out. It's time to call it a night and come eat. I doubt you've eaten anything all day," Angela sighed.

She knew Bella well enough to know that once the dig latched hold of her she wouldn't stop for anything. It had fallen to her more times than she cared to count to make sure Bella ate, drank, or bathed for that matter. Bella was quite simply impossibly involved in her work. Good for the dig, bad for her friend's nonexistent personal life.

"We're in France for fuck's sake. Let's go enjoy the local cuisine and scope out the smarmy French bastards who are sure to come on to you in their native tongue." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively but knew her friend's reaction to that statement would be total dismissal.

Right on cue, Bella let loose her signature eye roll, huff, and sigh. Angela had her friends number, knew when to use it, and Bella never disappointed.

"Angela, could you, just this once, not go there? It was once and he was NASTY!" she exclaimed.

"Fine, I won't go there. But get your dirty ass out of that hole so we can get back to the house and freshen up. I'm starving and there is a glass of wine in some quaint café with my name on it."

After scrubbing the grime of a cave floor off of her body, Bella dressed in a light summer dress and sandals, happy to be free of the practical clothes and gear of her day. Stepping out of her room in the cozy cottage she and Angela shared with two other women, she felt clean, light, and famished.

As they made their way to the center of the village Angela decided on Café Le Jardin, one of only three eating establishments in the town. They picked a table outside and ordered their dinners while discussing the site.

"So, did you find anything of interest today? We've uncovered more of the paintings but the new stuff is far more advanced in both complexity and technique. Without dating we don't know for sure but they can't possibly be from the same time," Angela mused.

"That's crazy. Can you point it out tomorrow? I don't have an artist's eye like you, but I might be able to approximate dates for you. I didn't really find anything out of the ordinary today. Some seriously petrified animal shit but seeing as how it's a cave I expected that. I do have a lot more digging to do and there's an area just a little further down that seems more promising." Bella sat back after taking a big bite of her food, feeling extremely relaxed. She was enjoying the company and the copious amounts of wine they were both inhaling.

"Oh, did you hear they hired another archaeologist?" Angela asked.

"What the hell do we need with another fucking newbie? I just know it's gonna fall to me to train their sorry ass too, just wait and see."

"My understanding is he is hardly a newbie, so I doubt training will be necessary. Aaaaaaand, he's supposed to be seriously HOT! Beth told me, and I quote, 'He is so beautiful it hurt to look at him'," Angela said with a giggle, wiggling her eyebrows for added effect.

"Whatever. Beth would think Eric Yorkie from back home was hot. She's a sheltered girl, it's sad really. Besides, beautiful or not, he will be here to work and I won't be taking the time to get to know him. He's welcome to all the Beths, Laurens, and Jessicas he can handle. I'll just stay in my little earthen holes and dig to my heart's content," Bella replied.

"Bells, do you ever plan on letting go and realizing that not all guys are like Paul? I mean it was, what, three years ago?" Angela moaned.

"What does this have to do with the new guy, Ang? Yes, it was three years ago, and all he did was solidify my already preformed notion of how crappy being in a relationship can be. In time I might like to have a dude to hang with again but right now it's just a distraction I don't need. END. OF. DISCUSSION!"

Paul had been Bella's last relationship and her most serious to date. He wasn't a particularly likeable guy but they had their passion for work in common and the sex wasn't half bad. Looking back, Bella realized there were a lot of signs of his infidelity but being so wrapped up in her studies made it easy to ignore.

She had never really given her heart to him, so when she walked in to find him screwing her step-sister Leah over her favorite leather reading chair, all she felt was anger. She was terrified that they might damage the chair and sorry that she was too late to warn her sister about his philandering ways. Kicking him out, she wished Leah luck, and cleaned her chair until it no longer smelled of fast food and sex. Each wipe of the chemical laden rag brought a sense of relief knowing she had one less annoying complication to deal with. Her heart and emotions were still firmly in place and in no danger of failing her any time soon. But the sting of rejection at the hands of such an asshole would haunt her for a very long time.

"Fine, so no action between you and Mr. Beautiful. I was hoping to live vicariously through you, seeing as how I have Ben, but I'll drop it. It's late and we should probably get back and get some sleep. Not only do we have the new guy starting tomorrow, but Felix is leaving and will be gone for two weeks. That means the thankless job of showing this "god among men" will fall on your capable shoulders," Angela laughed.

"Just fucking great! Didn't I tell you I'd have to baby-sit the newbie? SHIT!" Bella stood and stretched before setting off at hard pace for the house and her nice comfortable bed. Her day tomorrow would be filled with less of what she loved and more of what she loathed.

"Fuck my life, I'm sure the asshole won't even appreciate me wasting my time," she slurred into her pillow. Within seconds of that irritated curse, the wine took her under and only the soft sounds of her snores could be heard.

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**So there you have it, chapter 1! Chapter 2 will be up fairly soon and then my regular posting schedule will be every other week. I'm not sure what day specifically I will update yet, as I am so new to this, but when I get a good feel for it I will let you all know...that is if anyone decides to read. LOL! **

**NOW, show me you care and hit the little review button below *bats eyelashes and twirls hair*. THANKS FOR READING!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Newbie aka Mr Beautiful

**I want to thank everyone who tweeted and retweeted for me last week! You are all a bunch of total sweethearts & I am lucky to count you as friends. **

**Special thanks go out to my two beta's L and 2littleladies...you both rock!**

**L-Without you I would be a repeat offender in the grammar dept and my life would be a hell of a lot less happy. I miss our chats but know that RL is kicking your ass. Hugs and smooches and rainbows and unicorns my love! I just 3 you hard.**

**K-You sent me a card this week thanking me for letting you beta and my first thought was "What the hell is she thanking me FOR? She's doing the work I'm too lazy to do." LOL! I love you babes & the rest of the Robnablers.**

**Finally to my c anna cullen-You, my dear are a perv of the highest order...which is totally the reason I adore you. NGL, your affinity for the canon Carlisle, or, better yet, Mr. Facinelli is h00rlarious! In light of that lil comment, I must tell you that I am indeed working on your lil "gift"! **

**Thanks again to everyone (MorganLocklear & AquariumJenn) for the pimp'n...Today we introduce...**

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Chapter 2

The Newbie a.k.a Mr. Beautiful

Morning. Sun. Wine hangover.

After partaking in more than their fair share of the delicious wine the night before, both Bella and Angela felt like their mouths were lined with wool and their heads full of little men with jackhammers. BIG ASS JACKHAMMERS.

"Ang, remind me to stop after one fucking glass next time," Bella whined.

"Holy shit, I feel like… Fuck, I feel like shit! Coffee and hot showers, that's what we need. You shower and I'll make some of my triple strength, hangover remedy, singe the hair off a goat coffee. Mmm'k?" Angela whispered, afraid that if she tried to talk any louder her brain would drain from her ears.

"Right, to the shower!" Bella shuffled to the bathroom while Angela set up the tools for the coffee, and once ensconced in the liquid warmth of its spray she began pondering her day.

The idea of showing a new member of the team the ropes didn't necessarily bother her, though she would rather be working her area. No, what bothered her were the stares and whispers the duo would surely receive if her new colleague was indeed as handsome as Angela claimed. Bella didn't mind having the attention focused on her but would much rather it be for her efforts and not for the eye candy she was forced to show around.

Sighing heavily, she continued to let the water work the nasty remnants of the wine out and then stepped out to dry and dress, hoping Angela was done making her disgusting but effective libation.

Her hopes were realized as she stepped into the small kitchen to see her friend chugging her coffee with a slightly wrinkled nose.

"Is it working this morning?" Bella queried quietly.

"Ask me after my shower. It's super nasty this time. Prepare for full on whiskey face."

"Thanks, I'll do that," Bella chuckled at Angela's mention of a whiskey face. Both women had a difficult time hiding their distaste of most hard liquors but whiskey was by far the worst, and anytime they drank it their faces would screw up in the most comical way.

Shaking her head, she reached for the coffee carafe and poured herself a steaming cup of yuk, sending a silent prayer to the goddess of hangover remedies that it would do the job so she could face Mr. Beautiful without vomiting on him.

**-BS-**

Base camp was full of noise and movement. The temperature was still warm but the sky was overcast, giving everyone in the open a break from the hot sun. Bella sat in the foreman's office going over catalogues from other areas of the dig while she waited for the newbie. She found a note from Felix with the name Edward Cullen and instructions on where to find the paperwork he needed to fill out.

Just as she was going to pull the file she needed there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Bella plastered her most welcoming smile on her face and sat up to greet Mr. Cullen.

Had she actually taken Beth's description more seriously she would have been better prepared for the vision of male perfection before her. She had, however, not really taken those words to heart, and was now struck dumb by Mr. Beautiful in all his tall, lean, chiseled, and tousled bronzed hair glory.

He wore what she would call the Uniform…khaki cargo pants, dark t-shirt, hiking boots, and sunglasses. She had seen dozens of men and women wearing the same thing but never, ever had it looked this delicious.

As he shifted his weight, Bella noticed the muscular cut of his calf as it flexed and the desire to lick it was nearly too strong to resist. The further up her eyes roamed, the stronger the urge became so she opted to skip over the one part she most wanted to study, even through his clothes. The planes of his abs and chest were visible through his perfectly fitted shirt and begged to be fondled. Raising his arm to take off his glasses she noticed the the shape of his biceps and forearms looked strong and toned but not bulky. Finally, she reached his face, all angular lines, pouty lips, and caramel colored eyes. The man belonged on a sundae or a banana split…he was edible, she was sure of it. His jaw alone could melt panties with minimal effort.

Before finally meeting his eyes, she decided to just ruin herself and her underwear by staring openly at the front of his shorts. What she saw made her mouth pop open and her mind reel. He was packing some major heat and she had never wanted x-ray vision more.

_Holy mother, Mr. Beautiful doesn't even begin to cover it. More like Mr. Big-Dick-Sex-me-up-til-I-scream-your-name._

**-BS-**

Bella's surprised gawk was mirrored by Edward's, and he found himself unable to speak, his feet frozen to the floor. He struggled to control the urge to speed to her side and smell her up one side and down the other. She was intoxicating to all his superhuman senses. Oddly, the need to taste her was not as strong as the need to take her over the desk, though he knew if he did sink his teeth into her creamy skin it would be the sweetest ambrosia.

More time passed as they both stood and stared, the creak of the door was the only thing to break their mutual trance.

"Hey Bells, is the new…" Angela's voice faded as she wrapped her mind around the scene in front of her. A sly smile lit the corner of her mouth before she continued. "Uh, hi. I'm Angela Weber, resident art historian and restorer of all things painted." She held her hand out to the Adonis in front of her and gasped at the coldness of the hand that encased hers moments later.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I have a circulatory problem and my hands are always freezing. My name's Edward, Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you Angela."

"Likewise. Well, I'll leave you alone with our fearless leader so you can get acquainted with our little piece of archaeological heaven," she said as she backed out of the door, leaving a bewildered and slightly dizzy Bella with a wink.

"Shit. I'm so sorry for being rude. I'm Bella Swan and I have the honor of showing you the ropes today."

"Bella, it's nice to meet you. You have a beautiful name. Are you Italian?" Edward asked, tilting his head slightly and smiling.

Bella was so caught by his melodious voice and captivating smile that she had a hard time processing his questions.

"Uh, well um… I'm sorry, what did you ask again?" She shook her head as if to clear it, silently willing the awe induced fuzz away so she could keep from looking like a lust crazed fool.

"Are you Italian?" he repeated.

"No, but I guess my name is. My full name is Isabella, after Isabella Rossellini, my mother's choice. I prefer Bella because it's easy to shout. We do a lot of shouting at one another on these digs," she laughed. She might as well tell him her life's story while she's at, she thought.

"I'm aware. This isn't my first rodeo, so to speak. Felix mentioned some paperwork when I spoke with him last. Should I do that first or would you rather wait?"

"Yes, right. Here it is. Top copy is yours to keep and then I need you to sign where you find the taped arrows. I'll leave you to it and be back in about ten minutes?"

"That's fine. I'll just wait here if I'm done sooner," Edward said.

Stepping out of the small trailer Bella sucked in a large breath and held it, trying to regulate her breathing and bring her heart rate back down. The man she left to sign papers had undone her carefully crafted façade of indifference in milliseconds and she was none too happy about it.

He was attractive, to be sure, and seemed a nice enough person but she didn't have time to fawn over some guy. Especially not some guy she had to work with daily for an undisclosed period of time. Her only response to her psyche's banter was a resounding _"FUCK"!_

Pushing off the flimsy door, she went in search of more coffee. She was sure Angela's death drink this morning had rid her of the after effects of the wine, but the arrival of Mr. Cullen had made her stomach flutter and her head spin again.

After chatting with several students and pouring an overly large cup of coffee, she headed back to Felix's trailer to get the tour underway.

Once at the door, she could hear what appeared to be a rather serious conversation Mr. Buttery Voice was having with someone she assumed he was on the phone with. After consideration, she decided to eaves drop with the intention of simply learning more about the mysterious man. She rationalized that it would make it easier to work with him is she knew things like whether or not he was gay, or married, or turned on by short brunettes with foul mouths.

**-BS-**

Edward heard Bella let out a ragged breath before letting loose the a curse in the most arousing way he had ever heard as she stood just outside the door.

"_FUCK!" _

That one word out of her mouth did things to him he couldn't have ever imagined. His already painful protrusion gained a level of hardness not known to mortal man, and he briefly wondered if he had time to take care of it. Deciding it would be difficult to hide the evidence, he pictured Emmett and Rose in flagrante delicto. He had never been happier that Emmett had absolutely no mental filter in regards to his and Rose's…escapades.

_THAT DID IT! Masturbatory crisis averted!_

Settling back into the chair, Edward finished the paperwork before Bella could land on the last stair, giving him 9 minutes and 45 seconds to kill. He opted to call the family and give them an update, knowing they were all anxious to know more about the girl whose life he was there to protect.

Inhaling sharply, purely out of habit, he thought about Alice's vision that prompted his trip here. She had let him view the scene as she had, so that he would understand, and still he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that it invoked.

_A young woman digging diligently in a hole. There is a presence around her, watching and waiting, wondering if she is the one that will find the link to his humanity. He struggles with whether or not he should really give it up to those who will destroy it and keep the status quo. The storm behind his eyes is evident through the tinted glasses._

_The scene changes and Edward sees himself with the same young woman whose smile is as big as her face. She found it, and now he must help her protect it as well as her. This tablet holds the key to his kind's past and it is imperative that they be the ones to decipher the text and save its message for eternity._

Breaking himself free of the memories and the new feelings he had for the woman he was waiting on, he hit the speed dial for his home and waited for an answer.

"Carlisle, it's Edward."

"Good to hear from you, son. How was your first day? Did you meet the woman in Alice's vision?"

"I did, her name is Bella Swan," he sighed, "and she's not what I expected." Edward wasn't sure how much to share with Carlisle about his reaction to her.

"She has a beautiful name," Carlisle mused, "but your tone is a touch ominous. Would you care to elaborate?" he asked.

"There is something about her that just draws me in. I can't explain it, but it's like I know her."

"Are you having difficulty being near her?" Carlisle asked.

"At first I thought that might be an issue, but after just a few minutes with her, though the burn was still strong, I felt more drawn to her mind and body. I've never met anyone like her. It's confusing and, to make matters worse, I can't hear a damned thought in her head. Everyone around her comes in loud and clear but she is completely silent. It's fucking unnerving but nothing I can't handle. Does Alice have any more information?" Edward scrubbed his face hard with his hands, trying to rid himself of Bella's image and the multitude of questions he had because of her.

"Yes, and she's been bouncing around the house waiting for you to call. Something about a new vision and you meeting her best friend before she does. Very Alice." Carlisle laughed lightly and covered the phone with his hand as he called for Alice.

"Bon jour, mon frere," Alice sang.

"Hi, Alice. What do you have for me?" Edward chose to ignore Alice's attempt at getting him to converse in one of the many languages he was fluent in. He just didn't have it in him today.

"Really, not even a return hello in French? You are such a killjoy Edward. Anyway, I had another vision last night but it involved another vampire. All I could tell was that he was large and Bella was holding some kind of slate. Do you know if there is any of our kind there?" Alice asked, her voice had lost its bounce and she was all business.

"No, but I have a feeling the guy that hired me is one or is in contact with one because his office was saturated in the scent. Why do you ask?"

"There was a lot of fear emanating from Bella in the vision. I'm not sure where I'm getting it from but I know whoever is there is with the Volturi. You need to tread carefully. I'm not sure what will happen when this other person realizes you're a vampire too," Alice said quietly. A few short beats later she was back to her bubbly sounding self as she issued a firm but loving warning to Edward. "Just so you know, Bella and I are going to be the closest of friends so don't go being a complete dickhead or we'll never get her to visit so I can meet her."

"Alice, I think you're mental and the probability of Bella stepping anywhere near our home, given she is across the ocean from it as we speak, is highly unlikely. I will, however, reign in my asshole-ish tendencies and try my hardest to be kind and civil." Edward hesitated to ask the next question, knowing it might set off alarms for Alice, but he needed to know the answer. "Have you seen me hurting her in any of your visions?"

"Don't worry Edward, you won't hurt her. There's something special about her. Something you'll understand better in time. But like I said, if you ruin my chances of meeting her I will kick your ass myself." With that Alice hung up, leaving Edward with his jaw nearly touching the floor and his mind once again muddled with thoughts of the strange woman he was waiting on.

**-BS-**

Bella had gleaned very little in the way of knowledge about Edward while listening in on his conversation from outside of the door. What she did hear confused her more than she thought possible.

_Did he like her? What did he mean "Will I hurt her"? Fuck me, he's hot but now I'm thinking he might be nuts._

Gathering her courage and successfully calming her blush, she opened the door with as much noise as possible. What she saw brought the color back to her face in a flash. Edward was lounging in his chair, feet propped on the desk, looking for all the world like he belonged right there. The only thing missing was a cigarette and a highball of scotch.

"Are you ready to see the sites, Mr. Cullen?" she asked.

"Lead on, Ms. Swan! Oh, and please call me Edward. It's hardly fitting to be called something so formal while digging around in the dirt, don't you think?" he mused.

"Okay. Well, then please call me Bella. Remember, it's easier to yell." Her thoughts immediately went to all the places she would like to hear him yell it, in bed, in the car, over the table…much easier to yell.

As they exited the trailer, they both felt much more at ease in the other's company. The questions could wait for another day, as Bella thought that her day might actually turn into something of worth, even if she didn't get much actual digging done.

**-BS-**

"Alright, so this is where I'm working and I think we'll set your site up right down there. It's a little late to get started but I'll have some guys bring in more lights and you can at least get your area prepped today and start actual digging tomorrow. Does that sound good?" Bella proposed.

"That sounds brilliant. Until they get more lighting back there, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not really. I've lost so much time today that I think I'll just make my rounds and check on everyone else's progress. I have a bad habit of getting started on my own site and not stopping, which would be even worse today since I'd be starting so late. Would you like to wander around with me and take a little more time to see what we've uncovered?"

"Sure." Edward motioned with his arm for her to walk ahead.

As they walked from hole to hole, Edward's confidence grew and he began asking all the questions that had been filling his mind since he had laid eyes on the woman beside him.

"Did you always want to be an Archaeologist?" he asked softly.

"Not really. I mean, all little girls want to be an actress or ballerina but my hopes for the life on stage or screen were dashed when I was young. I was terribly shy and at my very first ballet recital I vomited all over the first row." She laughed at the memory. Wiping the tears from her eyes before she continued. "The horrified look on their faces as I let loose the Fruit Loops and mac and cheese all over their lovely suits and dresses was classic. Needless to say, I quit ballet and took up karate. Why I chose archaeology is still a little bit of a mystery. I suppose because I love history and I love to read, it seemed like a great choice. Then you add getting to play in the dirt and I was sold!"

Edward was laughing so hard he had to bend over to calm himself. Before he could ask his next question Bella spoke.

"How about you? Did you have wild Indiana Jones fantasies when you were a kid?"

"No, my dad's love for history just kind of rubbed off, I guess." Not wanting to lie to her he changed the subject as quickly as he could. "Have you known Angela long? You seemed to be real friends, which is always rare on a dig."

"Pfft," Bella blew air through her lips. "Ang and I have been friends since grade school. We went to Arizona State University together because neither of us wanted to be far from home. We grew up in Phoenix," she shrugged her shoulders, "and I guess we've sort of followed each other when we could ever since. She's not always on my digs but if there's a chance I can recommend her for a spot, I will."

"That's pretty cool to be able to work with your best friend. Occasionally, I get to do a project with my brother Jasper, but usually I'm kind of on my own. What do your parents think of you traipsing all over the world?" Edward asked. He was enjoying himself and the conversation was a good distraction from his real purpose.

"At first, my dad was set on coming with me to each and every dig. He's a retired cop and I am his only daughter. I'm sure you can put those pieces together. My mom, she just thinks it's all adventure and artifacts covered in gold and jewels. I think I've been doing it so long that they just kind of don't think about it anymore, you know?"

"I suppose. I understand your dad's view though. I'd never let you out of my sight if you were mine," he whispered not meaning to actually say it out loud. He just couldn't wrap his brain around the emotions her proximity brought out.

They continued their talk, getting to know one another through stories and debate. It made Edward feel more human than he had in a century, and he realized he didn't want to let it go.

The crazy, filter-less, beautiful woman beside him had managed to wiggle her way into his long silent heart and if that hadn't been enough to undo him then the lust that raged in his mind and groin would.

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Next update will be around the 25th of this month. Happy St. Patrick's day to all my lovlies! BTW...if you are not reading An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy by m81170 then get to it! It is ridiculously wonderful and the characters are endearing and relatable. Makes me sigh repeatedly...big, goofy grinned, sighs...

http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5642262/1/An_Introduction_to_Swirl_and_Daisy


	3. Chapter 3 Dig and Discover

**~I own the plot of this lil ditty but all characters are property of Stephenie Meyer and her crew. I also own a wonderful Mac lappie that currently houses all my ramblings and allows me to indulge in my fic-h00rish behavior~**

**Gianormous hearts and toe curling unicorns go to my two beta's L and 2littleladies...L & Kel, without you I would look like a comma deficiant dork. Your constant comments, help, and praise make the writing process soooooooo much fun. I love you with all my pervy lil heart is capable and want to tell you that your tweets keep me smiling;) Thanks for all the help. (You'll notice below that LaracFF's fic In the Name of Peace is rec'd...cause I lubs her hard like that, she's my kindred spirit, and she is a phenomenal writer)**

**I have to mention my bestie Aspenleaf and her diabolical sense of humor and intelligence! She is my go to girl for all things archaelogical, though I haven't had to use her yet! I've rec'd one of her fics below but know that she also writes The Ripper and it is totes wonderful!**

**Extra thanks goes out to c. anna cullen and IrishTwilightSister...Anna and Bee keep me pervy and entertained via twitter and are both phenomenal writers! Thank you ladies for all the "forbidden s word" fun you let me have...Squeakie, your help has been amazing and I may need it on all my new chappies, if you're up for it. Bee, tell Lorri that you can bet your sweet asses that I'm planning a trip to Ireland and expect to meet all of you! IrishTwiSisters UNITE! I seriously love you both!**

**And last, props to my all my Robnablers (esp Amy & Katie) for keeping it real!**

* * *

Chapter 3

Dig and Discover

Bella couldn't deny the strange connection and attraction she had formed with Edward during their time together. Their discussions about the site and their lives just made him that much more attractive, though thinking back to all that was said, she realized he was less forthcoming with his life than she was with hers.

She knew that should bother her, but the little voice of reason in her head seemed to be giving her the verbal thumbs-up every time she glanced at him or even thought his name. No doubt it was also stricken mute by his fuck-hot good looks and dazzling charm. This was an absolute first for her and she was oddly at peace with the swirling feeling in her stomach, mind, and lady bits, as well as her increased heart-rate when he was near.

She thought of him in a way she had never thought of a man before. She was drawn to his humor, intelligence, and love for his family. In the past the feelings she had for the opposite sex were clearly delineated. There was lust or friendship. With Edward the mixture was even and the pull was strong for both. There was also no denying the physical attraction that charged the air between them when they were close or the comfortable conversation they could carry on for hours. His mind could seduce her intellect and his body could to the same for the rest of her. He'd be an adventure for all her senses…in bed, in the woods, in the library…

_Oh the places we could go, my beautiful man._

For the first time in her adult life she wanted a man to want her in every way. She wished she knew if he felt an ounce of what she did.

**-BS-  
**

Being a vampire was honestly tedious most of the time, especially when you thrust yourself into the middle of a village filled with living, breathing, sleeping humans. Edward had no need for sleep, and because of the events earlier that day, found it difficult to even sit and read, a pastime he was quite fond of under normal circumstances.

"Damn it!" Edward exclaimed, raking his hand through his hair and pacing the small confines of the apartment he had rented in the village. He was going stir crazy in the cramped space but saw no real solution to his problem: Bella Swan, archeologist extraordinaire and current star of all his pornographically charged daydreams.

If he sat and pondered the situation too long, his thoughts would automatically turn to her. From there his reflections became more personal in nature. Specifically, Bella Swan naked, underneath him, on top of him, in front of him…you get the idea.

To that his thought remained those of a gentleman, he forced himself to solve difficult mathematical equations, translate ancient texts from memory, and even recite every known leader of every country from ancient times through modern day.

Glancing at the clock, like he had every minute on the minute for the last six hours, he realized he only had a few more of those agonizing clicks of the hour hand before he could show up at the site and not raise an alarm.

In the meantime he would see just how high he could count before the numbness of boredom would overtake him…again.

**-BS-  
**

_The cave was deserted but Bella could feel the presence of another._

"_Edward? Is that you?" she asked._

"_Yes, my sweet. I've wanted to have you to myself all day," he cooed._

_His breath smelled of sweet basil and mint. Cool, refreshing, and earthy. It floated over her skin and raised the flesh, though she felt like she was on fire everywhere else._

"_Why?" she asked._

"_You must know I want you, my beautiful Bella. I want to feel you under my hands and hear you moan my name." He was standing directly behind her, his hands ghosting over her tight stomach, raising her shirt to touch the bare skin underneath._

"_I want you too. I've never met a man so beautiful and bold. Please, I'm yours for the taking," she moaned, sinking into his chest and molding herself to him._

"_Your wish, my lovely." With that, he moved in front of her and began stripping her of her bothersome clothing. No time was wasted on a seductive striptease. The anticipation was already thick and they both just wanted completion, quickly._

_Lying down on the cold hard dirt of the cave floor, Edward pressed himself between Bella's legs, nudging her knees apart until he could settle himself comfortably._

"_I'm afraid slow and gentle isn't an option tonight, my love, but I promise to take care of your needs before my own," he said as he forcefully pushed his way…_

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP…

Bella swung her hand in the general direction of her bedside table, pissed off that the best sex dream she could ever remember having was cock-blocked by the grating beep of the alarm clock.

"Son of a mother goat and all the fucking saints! Come here, you cock blocking bitch!" She mumbled into her pillow, grabbing the offending device and throwing it at the far wall.

"Take it easy there, She-Ra. What the hell did that poor clock do to you?" Angela laughed sleepily.

Bella was not a morning person and quite often she was informed that her pissy attitude came off as comical.

Angela continued with a shit eating grin. "Oh, and can you keep your nocturnal sexcapades down from now on? Some of us actually prefer to sleep at night, though from the sounds of it Mr. Moan-My-Name-Not-So-Slow-and-Gentle made quite an impression."

"SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. ANG!" Bella yelled and threw her pillow in Angela's general direction, missing her completely, of course.

She was more than aware that she talked in her sleep, and if she hadn't been able to room with Angela she would have requested a single for that very reason.

Having her best friend give her a ration of shit because she had obviously made all sorts of lewd and highly entertaining noises and comments was not how she had hoped her day would start.

"Ang, can you please not give me crap today. I have to work right next to the new dude all day. It will be hard enough to look at him and remember what I dreamt about without blushing. Having you make not so subtle innuendos on top of that might push me over the edge."

"Hehehe, you said hard," Angela snorted.

"Seriously, how fucking old are you? So, are you going to leave it here in this room or do I have to sit on you and practice my loogie control to keep you from talking?" Bella demanded.

She had a veritable arsenal of juvenile torture tactics from which to pull and Angela had been at the receiving end of several more than once in their friendship.

"Christ on a cracker, Bells! You suck the fun outta everything for me. What good is it to have a roomie who does play-by-play of her sexy dreams, while asleep I might add, if I can't give you shit about them?" She crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine, it stays here. BUT, I reserve the right to bring it up if you pick on me about Ben or my height," Angela said, quirking her eyebrow before adding, "let's just see if you can go a whole day without spewing one Amazon joke, my friend."

Angela had Bella's number and she knew it. Bella decided her best strategy would be to go along with it and just make herself as busy as possible so she wouldn't be tempted.

"Fine, no jokes about your height or your boyfriend. Now, do you want to shower first or can I?"

**-BS-  
**

Angela and Bella trudged their way up the path to the cave. It was early so they figured they would be the first to arrive, which was how Bella preferred it. It was quiet and allowed her to center herself before picking up her tools and getting to work.

As they came to the opening, they heard what sounded like singing. To be honest, it could have been a dying cat with its high pitched screeching suddenly falling to a low moan. It sounded terrible.

Sneaking their way into the cave, they both noticed illumination deep in the first "hall" off the initial main room. The bright lights were coming from the area close to where Bella's dig was which left only one real possibility.

Edward "Fuck me side-ways" Cullen.

"Ang, you realize that's Mr. Beautiful, right?" Bella snickered. It felt good knowing that while he might be beautiful, eloquent, and a damned good archeologist (she had Googled him) he couldn't carry a tune to save his life.

"Well, there goes the serenading fantasy. Let's go see what he's up to," Angela responded.

As they got closer to the awful noise coming from the beautiful man, their breath caught. He was bent over on his hands and knees scraping the top layers of dirt away carefully, his head nodding to the beat of the music in his ears.

With mouths opened wide and heads tilted to the side, they were entranced by the steady movement of his glorious ass in his cargos caused by the bobbing of his head.

"Breathe, Bells, you're turning blue, and," Angela whispered while scrunching her brows in concentration. "why can't I take my eyes off of that? I feel like I'm stuck in some twisted magician's trick where they hypnotize you with a watch only it's his ass that's swinging and not a watch."

"Uhhhhhhh...wow. That's all I got," Bella replied, trying to remember to close her mouth and check for drool.

Several more minutes passed before either of them could wrench themselves from the vision of perversion before them and continue forward to get Mr. Beautiful's attention.

**-BS-  
**

Edward knew the girls were in the cave with him, but continu ed to work, acting oblivious to their verbal intrusion in order to keep up his human façade. It wouldn't do acknowledge thier comments when most people couldn't hear whispers with unencumbered ears and it was obvious his were occupied. He thought it amusing that they assumed he was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he wouldn't feel their presence behind him, but then most humans were oblivious to others when they were "in the zone". Vampires, on the other hand, were masters of multi-tasking. He could carry on a conversation about quantum physics, rebuild an engine, and compose a symphony all at the same time. He also had to stifle a laugh when Angela verbalized her thoughts about his singing. He had effectively managed to sound like he was tone deaf, which was actually quite difficult given that he was an accomplished musician. In the end it would be but one small bruise to his ego if it managed to make him seem more like a regular guy and less like the ever amazing Mr. Beautiful.

It wasn't lost on him that in acting as though he didn't know they were there, he gained a little more insight into the woman haunting his every thought. She thought he was attractive and if Angela's thoughts were fact then she had also dreamt about him naked.

These revelations only proved to intensify his perpetually hard dick, thanks to his own constant thoughts about nakedness and Bella, so he resolved to stay sitting when they interrupted him. It would be much easier to hide his issue.

After another few seconds he felt a light tap on his shoulder and forced himself to jump. Looking over his shoulder he saw Bella and Angela smile down at him, motioning for him to take out his ear buds.

"Good morning, ladies. I was a little wired so I came in early," he said, trying to even out his voice and unclench his jaw. His pants were entirely too uncomfortable at this point.

"Brilliant. We just didn't want to scare you by making a shit load of noise before we announced our arrival. Have you had any luck yet?" Bella asked.

"Not really, but the day is young. I should get back to this," he replied, motioning to his grid. He needed some time to diffuse his situation before he tried to carry on another conversation.

"Sure. If you need anything we'll just be in our respective spots. Have fun."

Edward went back to digging, dusting, and scraping, as he willed his hard on away, always keeping an ear out for any sign that Bella had made the big discovery. Alice had no real insight into when she would hit pay dirt, just a general time frame without anything to guide her. He just hoped that she found the tablet while he was near. He was eager to avoid anyone else finding out about her discovery before they could decipher the text and protect the tablet.

**-BS-  
**

Bella settled herself in for a long day of digging by inserting her own ear buds into her ears and letting the soft classical music take her on a wave of strings and woods. Shaking off the images from her dream and of Edward bent over working was much more difficult than she had anticipated. Finally finding her groove, she set to work in earnest.

After several hours and a few daydreams, she hadn't found anything other than a few rocks. Her spirits were running low and she was contemplating digging out just a bit further from her original grid to see if she could catch anything when her small shovel hit something hard.

Thinking it was another godforsaken rock, she almost ignored it but something in her gut told her to check it out. Picking up her brush, she began gently removing the loose dirt and found a flat surface that she could tell would be rather large once uncovered. Working fastidiously, she alternated between her small pick and her brush, being careful of the surface beneath the dirt.

After more than an hour of tedious cleaning she found herself staring at a large piece of stone with some kind of carving. Grabbing her camera she documented what the tablet looked like still surrounded by the dirt and then went back to slowly loosening it from its earthen tomb.

When the tablet was finally free, she picked it up gingerly, observing its size, shape, color, and lastly the text. It seemed to be written in several types of cuneiform she wasn't at all familiar with, perhaps an undiscovered language.

Pulling her brows together, she tried desperately to relate this piece of the puzzle to the other finds they had but nothing fit. The civilization they were looking for communicated verbally or with cave pictures. The carvings on the tablet would be far too advanced to fit the time frame they were looking for but she uncovered the tablet within proper layers of sediment for it to match the appropriate age.

Her head began swimming with possibilities and before she could think to stop herself she hollered for Edward.

"Edward, I think I've found something. Shit, I know I've found something."

**-BS-  
**

Edward, instantly on alert the moment he realized she hit something out of the norm, continued to pretend he couldn't hear her through his ear buds. That is, until she threw a rock at him. His one thought after rubbing the spot of impact was that he was glad he was impervious to hurled debris because the rock she had thrown likely would have hurt like a bitch if he were human.

"Ow, what the hell, Bella?" he asked, playing up the sore spot and turning to face her.

"COME HERE NOW!" she hissed.

"Alright, you know I would expect an apology from any one else," he grumbled, all the while laughing a little on the inside.

Ambling his way to Bella's hole he squatted down next to her with wide eyes. He instantly felt a connection with the piece of stone she held in her trembling fingers, though he could not read it anymore than Bella could.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"I…I don't fucking know. It's some kind of writing for sure, but I've never seen this version of cuneiform before and by the looks of it, you haven't either. So much for hoping the bronzed god of archaeology would be any help." She instantly wished she could take those words back and noticed a smug smile cross Edward's face as he acknowledged what she said.

"So, you think I'm a god, huh?"

"For the love…get your head in the game Cullen! The tablet…focus on the tablet. I think we should keep this quiet for right now. At least until I can do some research," Bella whispered.

"You know, I have some amazing books on dead languages. Maybe I could translate this for you," Edward hedged. If he could get her to give up the tablet, then he could leave with it, keeping her safe from the Volturi and their single-minded wrath.

"Uh, yeah, NO! Don't think so, hot shot. This little gem isn't leaving my hands. PERIOD."

"Fine, how about you bring it to my place and we can both go over it. Angela would cover for you for the remainder of the day, wouldn't she?" Edward should have known that Bella wouldn't give up the prize so easily. If he were in her shoes he wouldn't either. The discovery of something new, especially language, would put her name on all types of scientific maps. It would ensure her years of grant money and work doing what she loved.

"Jesus Edward, I don't trust you any farther than I can throw you, which is undoubtedly not very far. I just met you yesterday. What in fuck's name would make you think I would accept your help?" Bella was a little livid with his assumption that she would just include him. She had fought her way into this field with teeth bared and nails sharpened. The last thing she needed was some arrogant, albeit insanely attractive, asshole to waltz in and take credit for what she found.

"Mother of fuck, Swan! I don't want any credit for this, I just want to help. I swear I would offer the same if you were some overweight dude!"

Edward's use of the words fuck and dude seemed so out of character to Bella, that all she could do was dissolve into a fit of laughter. At one point, while viewing his incredulous face, she actually let her head fall too near the dirt floor of the cave and snorted dust in her mouth and nose causing a coughing fit. Even then she couldn't stop the giggles and realized that Edward had finally joined her.

"Edward, you have no idea how wrong it is to hear you say such uncivilized words. I mean, I cuss like a sailor, it's a job hazard, but you? Holy shit, Mr. Prim n Proper saying fuck is like Mother Theresa gettin' herself off."

"Honestly Bella, you don't know me at all. My mouth and brain are as improper as yours. Back to the issue at hand, are you going to let me help you or not?"

"Fine, but you get zero credit unless it's just a little blip in the beginning of the bestselling book I'm going to write once this all goes global!" Bella held her hand out in the universal symbol of agreement.

"As you wish, Bella," Edward mused, noting briefly that Bella's face went from smug to ghostly white in seconds.

"Are you ok?"

Bella tried to recover as quickly as she could but the words in her dream echoed through her mind, "_Your wish, my lovely". _

Hearing the very man that uttered those words in her dream say something so similar while she was awake had a serious moistening effect on her girly bits.

"Uh-huh. Just realized I haven't eaten since this morning. I feel a little nauseous. Would you mind waiting for me at your car? I need to get my stuff together and check something in the office before we go."

"No problem, and we can pick lunch up on the way to my apartment. OK?" Edward could tell there was more wrong than what she was telling him but because her mind was a blank slate to him he didn't know what. He just hoped she wasn't going to try to skip out on him, making saving her ass all the more difficult. "I'll fill Angela in quietly unless you'd rather she didn't know."

"That would be great, actually. Don't go into detail. I trust her but if this is something really big then I don't want Felix catching wind and coming back early."

"See you in a few, then?" Edward asked, silently praying he wouldn't be left hanging.

"See ya in a few," she responded.

Bella considered leaving Edward in the lurch, but after some intensive introspection she realized she might actually trust him. There was nothing in the way he spoke to or looked at her that made her feel otherwise. So she gathered her things and made her way to his car where he was waiting for her with a look of relief.

**-BS-  
**

"Did you think I was gonna run off without you?" Bella joked.

"Honestly, yeah. You looked like I was still offering to sell you to the highest bidder," he laughed.

"Well, I'm here, I trust you, and now we need to get going. Drive on, Jeeves."

Edward laughed and shook his head as he started the car. Besides being incredibly intelligent, and beautiful beyond words, she was also hilarious. Taking a deep breath he remembered one more thing he could add to the increasingly long list of Bella's attributes. She smelled delightful. So delightful, in fact, that if he didn't roll down the window she might not survive the short drive. With that last disturbing thought, he hit the buttons on his door to mercifully roll the windows down and infuse the small cabin with fresh Bella diluted air.

"So, do you mind if I ask why you are so willing to help? Most guys in your place would be trying to figure out a way to steal my thunder but I can tell that's not what you're up to," Bella said.

"I suppose because it's pretty damn exciting finding something so obviously undiscovered. I don't need recognition to want to be a part of figuring it out."

"You are an anomaly, Cullen. I think I would like to crawl inside your strange mind and do some digging. I might come up with stuff more interesting than this tablet," she said while patting her backpack.

The remainder of the drive was spent in silent contemplation for both the passengers. Edward wondered how he could possibly keep his true identity from Bella and still keep her safe and Bella wondered what the hell Edward was hiding.

* * *

**Ok, so now I beg for reviews...please, please, please, please review *puppy dog eyes blinking rapidly*. **

**I would also totes love to know your favorite adventure movie or book. I'm sure you can tell that Indiana Jones has my vote!**

**A few recs because I won't waste a chance to pimp my friends:**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5747816/1/Bella_Voce by MorganLocklear...a dude writing fic and he is AWESOME! The story is both funny and edgy plus, Bella is the vamp! It's set in France circa 1891 and the imagery is phenomenal! **

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5731421/1/The_Nightingale_Journals by kimpy0464...It's and Nurse Bella at their best. The story is full of cool medical terminalogy and has an authentic feel because Ms.K is a nurse in RL! Touching, sexy, funny, and thought provoking! GO READ!**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5441532/1/Eclipsed_Heart by Buff82...AU Vamp...this is story starts out as a matter of the heart and continues that theme but builds on the mysteries. One is solved only to be replaced by two more. Wonderful writing, incredible action, and smoking hot passion! You seriously need to check this one out!**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5111035/1/Duty_and_Desire by Aspenleaf...This is my dear friends Twilight/Pride and Prejudice cross and it is phenomenal! Darcyward is swoon worthy and her attention to the details takes you on an amazing journey. While some of the story is reminiscent of P&P, Aspen puts her own mark on it making it one of my very favorite "drop everything to read it" fics.**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5762812/1/I_Know_Those_Eyes or .?sid=823 by c. anna cullen...This story is just getting started and is fantastically wicked and heartbreaking. The prologue is amazing and Prickward is deliciously arrogant. Bella and Edward share a small piece of each others history but haven't thought about their one day in a very long time. Will their paths cross again? Will they know each other if it does? I can't wait to see where Anna takes us on this trip!  
**

**Now, for those of you who loved TALAY, you should be aware that hopeful wager is writing a new fic and it is incredible after just the first chapter! Here's the link...http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5814440/1/The_Sheik**


	4. Chapter 4 Flight

**HELLLLOOOOOOOO, my lovelies! I would like to say that I, in no way, own these characters! That distinction belongs Ms. Stephenie Meyer. I do own a broken bike and hope to add an iPad to my list of possessions soon!**

**Also, I know many of you are looking for a lil horizontal one-on-one time for Bella and Edward and I promise it is coming (hehehe) but you have to be patient. This story will be rather short but the need for build-up is essential for flow. I will tease you a bit and say that I write ahead a little and am currently working on something that will appease your pervy sensibilities**

**As always, I am forever indebted (and I do mean this literally because I'm fairly sure they plan on billing me for my crappy grammar/punctuation skills) to my wonderful beta's L and 2littleladies! Girls, in the words of Sir Elton John…****I hope you don't mind that I put down in words, How wonderful life is while you're in the world. Seriously, it would never be the same without you.**

**To my Robnabler, Merkateer, and TwiPervTour sweeties, talking to you on Twitter is often the highlight of my day. Having amazing friends like you makes it easy to get up and do my thing**

**Last I must thank Aspenleaf and Roselover24 for their continued support and frequent gchat/skype convo's. You both inspire me to be a better, more creative writer. Thank you!**

**I wrote a lil o/s for BellaFanatic's birthday this week and posted it. It's Emmett/Rosalie fluff, perv, and snark. If you need a lil funny, hot action then by all means GO READ IT! It was a blast to write! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5875965/1/The_Lemontastic_Adventure_of_Emmett_and_Rosalie**

* * *

Chapter 4

Flight

"Nice place you have here, Eddie," Bella said.

"Thanks, and if you don't mind I really hate that name. I'd rather you call me Cullen if you can't stomach Edward," he snipped. His distaste for the name Eddie was long and sordid. It didn't matter that Bella was the flesh and bones manifestation of everything he wanted in a woman; calling him "Eddie" was simply not an option…EVER.

"_Touchy_. No problem, _Edward_. Anyway, where are the books you were mentioning, this could be an all-nighter."

"Why don't you sit down and eat your lunch while I go rummage around in my room for them. I think I have three or four that might help." Edward walked out of the room as he finished what he had to say and made his way to his bedroom. The books he had were old and one of them might actually be helpful but not enough to translate what was on the tablet. He had to keep Bella from figuring out what was written long enough to formulate a plan to steal the tablet and keep her safe.

Coming up with that plan had seemed a lot easier just two days ago.

Locating the books, he reentered the living room to find Bella stuffing her face full of food and humming in enjoyment. If ever there was a time he was thankful for the casual t-shirt and shorts he had on, it was now. His pants pulled around his crotch painfully as he stood and gawked at the vision before him. Even the mundane act of shoveling food in her mouth was incredibly erotic. No matter how hard his subconscious tried to bring him back to reality he continued to stare, mouth wide, pants bulging. A few more seconds went by before his head snapped down to the problem with his lower half and he pulled his t-shirt out, discreetly trying to adjust himself, to no avail of course.

"Here they are," he mumbled.

"Fanks, Edfard," Bella answered through a mouthful of food. After swallowing and taking a long sip of her water she added, "let's get started, my good man," in her best British butler accent.

Four painfully long hours later they were no closer to translating the stone than they were when it was found.

"Seriously Edward, I don't think we will ever figure this shit out. It could take years. It's like this person took fifty different versions and created their own. Fuuuuuuck!" Bella moaned, rubbing her eyes fiercely.

"You might be right. I really wish my father was here, he has more knowledge of ancient languages than anyone I know."

"Is he an archeologist too? I don't remember reading about another Cullen in the field," Bella muttered.

"Checking up on me, Swan?"

"Maybe. I had to make sure you weren't some spy for the competition. Not that I would have any idea who the competition is when I don't even know exactly who is funding me, but still. Better safe than sorry." She blushed bright red, having been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar for the second time in less than 24 hours.

"You know what I think? I think you like me. It's alright, I'm a likeable guy. You can admit it. I promise not to gloat." Edward's teasing tone cut through the tension that had been building since they had sat down to work on the tablet. It felt good to smile in her presence and see her smile in turn. The blushing was just an added bonus and hazard. "And no, my dad is a medical doctor but has always been fascinated with all things historical. He's the reason I'm in this field."

"Well then, it is too bad he's not here. Anything to shed some light on this fucking puzzle would be a huge relief." Bella sighed and sat back on the couch with an audible thud.

**-BS-**

Both Edward and Bella jumped when Bella's phone began to ring. Immediately it put her on guard because the only person who had access to her personal number was Angela, and she would only use it if there was something wrong.

"Ang, what's up?" Bella asked, her voice full of apprehension.

"Felix is back and he is seriously pissed off. He keeps yelling for someone to find you and I heard him mumble something about making sure you don't talk. What the fuck is going on, Bells? I'm scared. Like horror movie, "don't go in that room alone, moron" scared!"

"I found something this morning but I can't see why that would have him all worked up. Try to sneak away, Ang and meet me back at the house." Bella was working on a plan to get them both out of town so they could figure out exactly what was going on.

"I can't go to the house. Felix already sent some goon named Demitri to wait there for you," Angela whispered.

"Bella, tell Angela to meet us here. I know why they want you but before I can fill you in we need to get the two of you out of here." Edward's chiseled jaw was set firm and tight as he growled out his order.

"Edward, I really don't want to involve you too. I can do this…" Bella began.

"Do what I say or more people than you can possibly imagine will be in danger. NOW!"

"Fucknuggets, fine!" Turning her mouth back to the receiver, she ordered Angela to meet them at Edward's apartment and gave her directions. Factoring in time for her to sneak off undetected, Bella figured it would be about 40 minutes of pacing before her friend arrived. Bella was nervous and determined that Angela not be hurt due to their friendship.

"Edward, do you really know what is going on here? Cause I have to tell you, it's freaking my shit out and I'm just praying that my faith in you isn't misplaced." Bella fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she stared into Edward's honeyed eyes.

"I'm afraid I do, and when I tell you I'm pretty sure your shit will freak even more, which is why I can't tell you here. Just know your faith isn't misplaced and I'm one of the good guys." Edward's sincere expression allowed Bella to breathe just a little easier.

"Thanks for the warning and for helping me. Jeeeeezus! Is this the longest mother fucking 40 minutes or what?"

**-BS-**

Angela was being watched like a hawk as she sped through escape plans in her head.

"I'm off for the night Felix. If I see Bella should I give her a message?" she asked slyly.

"No message. I'll have someone take you home," he replied in his ever-present groan.

"I have a car, dude. I can get myself home just fine."

Angela began walking for the path that led to base camp but was cut off by Felix, who had not only been behind her but should have been at least 30 meters away from her.

"You will let someone drive you home or I will do it myself. This is not an option." He grabbed her upper arm roughly and began to drag her to camp and his office. Once there, he called a man named Alec to take her home and turned to make his way back to the cave.

"Listen man, I really have to pee before I leave. Can you ease up on the guard dog routine and give me some space?" Angela could feel his cool breath on her shoulder as she asked to relieve herself in private. Turning around to face him she noticed he was wearing glasses very similar to Felix's, giving him the same creepy look and it made her more uneasy than she already was.

"Fine, but I will be watching you and I can hear everything you say and do," he said with a sneer.

"Alrighty then, Terminator. I'll be baaaack!" With that, she headed for the portable bathrooms by way of a large group of students.

As Alec turned his head in the direction she had gone, he saw a woman with a long dark ponytail enter the bathrooms with a huff and a slam but Angela was already on her way to her car. She had written a note to a girl that looked remarkably like her from the back and asked that she cover her by going to the port-a-potty. When the girl said she would, it took all of her might to keep from hugging the girl ferociously but her desire to high-tail it out of camp won over and she sprinted for her car.

Once on the road, she was amazed it hadn't been more difficult to get away and figured her escort was a little too confident his ability to use fear to persuade his prey to relent to his demands. He didn't consider that Angela might be smarter than the average target.

With 5 minutes to spare, Angela showed up to Edward's apartment door shaking, scared, and in desperate need of answers.

"Oh Jesus, Ang. I am so glad you made it." Bella hugged her hard as she dragged her into the room, leaving Edward to shut the door behind her.

"I wasn't sure I was going to. Do you know what that asshat Felix was going to do? He was going to have some Terminator wannabe drive me home. .FUCK!"

"Angela, Edward has promised to fill us in but we have to get out of here first. We can't go back to the house so all we have is what is on us. Do you have your passport?" Bella began digging in her own bag to be sure she had hers on her person.

"I do, thank God. So what do we do now? FUCK! I feel like I'm in some B version of Indiana Jones or something," Angela huffed.

Edward snorted at Angela's comment, knowing that Indy himself wouldn't have believed half the shit he was going to have to tell these two women.

"Now we get the hell outta Dodge and pray we aren't followed. Angela, did Felix know I started yesterday?" Edward asked.

"He didn't say anything about you, so maybe not? I think he might be preoccupied enough with Bella to overlook your dig and he's trying not to bring attention to the whole situation so he hasn't been asking people what they know. I think the only reason he asked me is because Bells and I are always together."

"Good. Well, this gives us an option that will allow us to leave now without him or any of his men knowing who I am. As for you two, I'm thinking we need to go incognito. Ladies, let's dude-ify you," Edward laughed.

"Dude-ify? Christ on a cracker Edward, stop speaking in code and just tell us what the fuck to do!" Bella was walking in circles wringing her hands as she said this. She was never very good with tense situations and this definitely qualified as tense.

"What I mean is you both need disguises and the only thing I can come up with is making you look like men. I have all the clothes for the job."

"Really? That's your idea of a brilliant plan? Son of a biscuit eater, Edward that will never work. First of all I'm like a million times smaller than you and I have long ass hair! Second…well, I don't have a second point but I think the first one is more than valid," Bella whined.

"We can make it work. Angela, you are tall enough to pass easily and I have a stocking cap you can wear to hide your hair. I have several pairs of sunglasses too. Let me go rifle through what my sister packed and see what else I come up with."

Edward stepped out of the room to search for anything they could use as a disguise. Bella was still more than skeptical but Angela was on board with anything that would get her away from the situation they were in.

"Bella, just trust him. I'm a pretty good judge of people and Mr. Beautiful there is good people. I just want to get back to Ben and my mom. I just want to be safe and boring," Angela seemed to be struggling to stay calm.

"Shhhh, we'll get you home safely Ang, I promise. I do trust him, more than you could possibly know, but there is a lot he has to tell us and I'm pretty sure it's gonna freak us both out. As a matter of fact, he already warned me it would." Bella was trying desperately to wrap her head around everything that had transpired since she woke that morning.

**-BS-**

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT! I HIT THE MOTHER LOAD LADIES!" Edward yelled from the other room.

When he reentered the room, he was carrying what looked like flesh colored pillows stitched together, hair, and a handful of paperwork.

"So, this is part of what I will need to explain to you once we are somewhere safe but for now just know that my sister Alice is our savior and we won't have to make do with my ridiculous excuse for disguises." With a flourish, he laid everything he had been holding down onto the floor and proceeded to explain what the cluster was. "This," he said, holding up the connected pillowy thing "is body padding. Bella it would be best if you use this as making you a guy really is out of the question."

Bella threw him a disgruntled look.

"What? You said it first! You're too short and your hair is too long to get completely under a cap, so, we will just make you a chubby old woman," he finished, looking quite proud of himself.

"Fine. But when will we change outta this shit so we can use our passports?" Bella was less than pleased with being required to play the part of a fat old woman but understood the necessity.

"That's the beauty of Alice. She sent passports for all of us. I just have to make each of us look like the picture on the passport and we will remain in these disguises until we make it to London. At that point we have another set of passports and some more, ah, appealing disguises to get us to the States where we will again change costume. I'm hoping that if they are trying to follow us it will throw them off enough to give us time to get back to my family."

"I'm game Edward, but won't I just be going straight to my family? I need to know they're alright." Angela's concern for Ben and her mother was obvious as tears welled up in her eyes as she waited for Edward's response.

"Angela, my family is keeping an eye on your loved ones and they are safe. Very, very safe. I can't let you go directly to them because that would put everyone in immediate danger. If we feel at any point that their safety is compromised, I promise to bring them to you." He rubbed her shoulder in a soothing gesture as she nodded her head in agreement. "Now, let's get this started."

For the better part of an hour they all worked to make one another look the part they were to play. Bella donned the padding to transform into the old woman while Edward was outfitted with a beard, mustache, and beer gut. Their clothing was appropriate for a pair of older travelers and Angela completed their little family dressed as a young man with a penchant for gansta rap. They looked convincing enough but Edward had a feeling his sister had chosen these costumes as payment for a little trick he played on her a few years ago involving her prize Prada purse and profuse amounts of mud. She always warned there would be retaliation but Alice was an opportunity stalker and loved to let the anticipation brew. Just when Edward had forgotten to be afraid of her, she struck.

Once they were all disguised, they packed what they needed, secured their passports and the tablet, which they intended to ship to Edward's family, and tried not to look in any mirrors for fear of collapsing in raucous laughter, thus ending their need for them.

Edward suggested taking the train north to Paris where they would board their plane for the first leg of their journey. He booked flights that would seem random in hopes of throwing off any pursuers so the trip home would take a number of days rather than one and he wasn't at all sure how his human companions would cope.

His plan was not a simple one because in addition to rigorous flights and drives between various airports, they would need to acquire and change disguises several times. This task was nothing for him, he never tired or needed sleep but the women in his care would need more than a few moments for their human needs, especially given the strain of the situation and rigorous travel.

As they began the drive to the train station, the conversation was stilted and the air surrounding them tense. Edward did his best to soothe their worries with music and laughter but neither did the trick. By the time they boarded the train and found their private roomette he, knew the time had come to discuss the situation they were in. He also knew that being honest about everything that was going on might prove difficult, at best.

Questions flew through his mind: Was it wise to tell these women that he and his family were vampires? How would they react? Would Bella be repulsed? Why did he care if Bella was repulsed? Sweet mother, would they scream? He really didn't think he could handle two screaming women in the small compact room they were in but didn't see any way around it.

Before coming to anything close to a conclusion on his inner ramblings, his mouth opened and began spewing forth words that were anything but eloquent.

"Now that we're on our way and securely out of range from Felix and his crew, I think it's time to let you in on what's going on. I need your promise that no matter how bizarre and crazy the things I say sound, that you will hear me out and give me the benefit of the doubt. I promise I am anything but crazy, and I DO. NOT. LIE."

There was a small chorus of "ok" from the women and he continued.

"Felix and the men working for him are part of an, uh, organization? I suppose that's the word for it. An organization called the Volturi. They are based in the Italian city of Volterra. Angela, I'm sure you're familiar with that city. I believe you did some preservation of the frescos in one of the large city buildings a while back, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. I was actually hired by the city, though, and I never heard mention of the Volturi. Are they like organized crime or something?"

"Not exactly. I'll get to who they are in a moment. They have funded several large digs around the world for the express purpose of finding the tablet you have, Bella. It is a piece of history that they share with my family and a world outside of your knowledge. Which leads me to whom, or rather what, we all are. Fuck, this is going to sound like something out of a horror novel…"

Bella watched Edward's jaw flex under his perfect skin and wondered what could be so ridiculous that would make it this difficult to say. Before she could continue her thought, he cleared his throat.

"Vampires."

"What about vampires?" Angela asked.

"WE. ARE. VAMPIRES."

* * *

**Again, I ask that you review but I understand if you just wanna read. As a writer, there is nothing better than hearing from you audience. The button is no longer colored but it does have a cute lil speech bubble…press it, please**

**I posted a TON of rec's last update so this time 'round there aren't as many but they are all AWESOME!**

**Rec's for the week:**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5832993/1/Decoy**** by 107YearOldVirgin…this story will transport you back to the pain of high school, if it was indeed painful for you…it was for me. It's beautifully written and combines Can't Buy Me Love and Twilight. The author is one of my fav's as she can write humor mixed with an angsty tang so very well. This story IS NOT HUMOROUS! It's very compelling and the characters are so very real. Bring tissues.**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net /s/5478916/1/The_Ripper**** by Aspenleaf…My favorite period fic author and bestie is writing a mystery that centers around the murders by Jack the Ripper. She has 6 chapters posted and we should be getting to the murders shortly. I am constantly guessing about who will be the infamous serial murderer and have yet to figure it out. The writing is phenomenal and the characters are superb. This is a must read…TRUST!**

**http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5792015/1/Tips_for_Better_Living**** by Adorablecullens…I started reading this after the first chapter was posted and fell for it immediately. I'm not wholly sure what to expect but I trust that Ms. AC will take us on a wonderful trip. This Edward is young and flighty. He makes tons of mistakes, doesn't take life seriously, and expects everyone else to pick up the pieces…until he meets Bella. The difference here is that Bella is older, though I have not figured out just how old, and is a regular at the diner Edward is working at in order to pay off his debts to his father. This is a true coming of age story that makes you think and begs the question, are there guardian angels on earth?**


	5. Chapter 5 Forks or Bust

**We all know that Veronica is not the first name of the author of the Twilight Saga...I have never wished my name were Stephenie more:) Not mine...only hers...damn my luck.**

**I am currently on my knees, giving thanks for my lovely betas L and 2littleladies. I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating...THEY ROCK! Seriously, ladies I would've looked REALLY dumb if not for your wonderful grammar/punctuation/run-on sentence detecting ways. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. By the way, these women are not only incredible betas but also AMAZING friends. **

**I'm fairly sure you are all foaming at the mouth for some naked time with our fav vamp and our fearless heroin...NEVER FEAR...it doesn't happen yet but I promise not to make you wait too much longer *giggle snort* hehehe, 'longer'. *Shakes head and wonder if I will ever truly grow up*.**

**Thank you to all my wonderful readers, supporters, and mostly my friends who just keep me going even in truly crappy times. *blinks back tears***

**As per the norm, I will have a few rec's at the bottom:) Enjoy by lovelies!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Forks or Bust

"WHAT. THE. FUCK?" Bella moaned. "Vampires are real?" she continued.

How could something born of the overactive imagination and mob mentality of past civilizations be real?

"I assure you Bella, it's the truth. As long as humans have existed so have my kind. We began with one and slowly multiplied over the ages," Edward stated matter-of-factly.

"But you can go out during the day and hold up…open your mouth," Bella demanded.

"WHAT?" Edward asked.

"Just open your fucking mouth! I am about to lose my shit here, so I suggest that you shut the hell up and OPEN. YOUR. MOUTH."

Doing as she requested, Edward opened his mouth as Bella scooted herself around to take a peek. Staring into his open mouth, she resisted the urge to lick his deliciously plump bottom lip but only because she was fairly sure it would end in her demise, something she would rather avoid if at all possible.

"Dude, you don't have fangs either. Come on! What kind of assholes do you think we are? A vampire? Really?" Bella protested.

**-BS-**

Edward sighed deeply. This was the first, and hopefully only, time he would have to endure this line of questioning so he laid it all out there as clinically as he could.

"Bella, all you know of vampires and other mythical creatures is from books and movies. We do not combust in sunlight. We do not have fangs. A stake through the heart will not kill us. Holy relics and water have no effect on us either. As a matter of fact, it is extremely difficult to kill us at all and usually only our own kind are successful in destroying us through total mutilation and burning. Our skin is as hard as the hardest stone and we are the world's number one predator."

"That still doesn't explain why you haven't killed us yet. Don't tell me! Real vampires don't drink blood?" Angela snorted.

"Unfortunately, blood is all that fills us. My family believes in only taking what we need from animals, though. Few of our kind follow this diet and simply let themselves run free. Ruled by instinct like all predators, they hunt what they crave and that is human blood. Most, however, are never made aware that animal blood would satiate them. By not drinking from humans, we have an advantage that allows us to control the thirst. _That_ is why you are perfectly safe with me, although I have to admit that Bella has presented a difficult challenge."

Edward's declaration caused Bella to sit up straight and rigid.

"What do you mean…I make it difficult?" she asked, affecting a rather poor imitation of his voice.

"I have never, in my 109 years of existence, been near someone whose blood smelled as enticing as yours. It is a constant test of my strength in this confined space. Thank God I feel an even more overwhelming urge to protect you or I'm not sure I'd be able to be this near you. There's that and, of course, your delightful personality." Edward smirked.

"Whatever, Assholio!" Bella snarked, as she straightened herself in the seat. "So, we're safe with you and your family but the vamps chasing us will kill us for the tablet and our blood? Jesus, how the hell did I get mixed up in this shit? I just wanted to do my fucking job!" Bella hung her head while Angela rubbed her back. "Wait, didn't you mention something about explaining how your sister knew to pack these disguises? Do you all have superhero powers too?" she scoffed.

Edward rubbed his neck and lifted his gaze to meet the women's mocking stares. Taking a very deep breath, he shook his head yes.

"Oh, you have _GOT_ to be fucking kidding me! So you're like blood sucking, cape wearing, fucking super heroes?" Angela choked.

"I am never going to live this down, am I? We aren't super heroes the way you think of them. We are incredibly fast, unimaginably strong, have supersonic hearing, and we don't sleep. In my family there are three of us who posses extra abilities as well. My sister, Alice, can see the future but only as someone makes a decision to do something. Her mate and husband, Jasper, can influence emotions and I can hear peoples' thoughts. Essentially everyone of our kind, if they are still in tune with even a small piece of their lost humanity, has a special gift. Something they had as a human that is now magnified, like compassion or even hatred, but few have gifts like my family."

"SHIT BALLS! You mean this whole time you've been able to hear what I was thinking?" Angela's complexion quickly went from a nice tomato red to the color of baby puke.

"Uh, well…that is to say…FUCK! Yes, I know you refer to me as Mr. Beautiful and think I have "dreamy eyes" but there's no need to be embarrassed as I get that all the time. Which makes me sound like a narcissistic asshole, but really it's just the way I'm built, ya know? I am a predator who is made to draw you in so that I can use you as my food source. Really, please don't make this weird. I can't handle a trip of this magnitude and stress with that hanging over my head and besides, I've already learned how to tune you out. Now Bella, on the other hand…I can't hear a damn thing in her head. Of course she really doesn't have a brain-to-mouth filter so I figure I'm probably hearing it anyway…" Edward continued to mumble before quickly apologizing.

"So, you can't hear what I'm thinking," Bella repeated.

"Correct. Though, as I've said, you seem very fond of speaking your mind so I figure I hear it anyway." Edward shrugged.

**-BS-**

Bella sighed and sat back in her seat, feeling elated at the fact that he hadn't been privy to all her thoroughly dirty thoughts regarding him and the blue ribbon appendage in his pants.

With that, the conversation was over and the ride to Paris seemed to last forever. Bella found herself staring at Edward on more than one occasion, trying to reconcile what she knew before with what he had just divulged. He seemed so gentle and genuine. Never once was she actually afraid in his presence, though if she were honest there were plenty of other feelings his nearness elicited.

Planes, trains, and automobiles became more than just the name of a movie for the disheveled and disguised trio as they finally touched down in London. Edward, wanting to throw their pursuers off course, had them fly from Paris to Rome, from Rome to Amsterdam, and finally from Amsterdam to London. There was a disguise change in Amsterdam so they now looked like a rag tag bunch of exchange students complete with pimples and bad hair, though they didn't have to work at the bad hair.

Boarding the plane and sitting down in their respective seats, they all let out an audible sigh. Edward had just talked to Alice on the phone as they waited in the terminal. She said Felix was tying to track them but was still quite far behind. It seemed that the bureaucratic tangles the Volturi wrapped around themselves helped slow down the effort to locate Bella, ensuring they would make it to the Cullens' home well before the gaggle of Vamp-bots caught on to their location.

"So, your sister says we're in the clear, right?" Bella asked with undisguised fear in her voice.

"Um, yeah. She said they were slowed down by the fact that Felix had to go back to Volterra and ask permission to track you. Theirs is a very strict code and any small misstep could land a courtier in very hot water," Edward responded.

"Good, good. I think I'm going to try to sleep a little. Ang, are you ok?" Bella leaned forward to talk to her friend sitting on the other side of Edward.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Think I'll catch some rest too. Thanks for everything Edward," she said shyly. "I feel better knowing we'll be back on US soil soon." She rubbed his shoulder briefly and if a vampire could have blushed Edward would have been ten shades of red in that moment.

**-BS-**

The flight across the Atlantic was long, especially for a vampire who had no use for sleep. Edward spent the flight acting as a pillow for his companions, listening to music on his iPod, and trying to unravel the mystery that was Bella Swan.

From his limited interactions he knew she was a no-nonsense type of person who loved what she did and did it well. She was also beautiful but in an understated, natural way that drew him in. It was true that her blood held an allure he had never encountered but her personality was what acted like a magnet to his soul, if he truly did still have such a thing.

Wrapping his head around feelings he never once had in his century of living had was a daunting task. He decided it would be best to wait and talk to his adopted father about them. Carlisle always had the answers or at the very least, some little tidbit of wisdom to share. At that moment, Edward missed his family like he never had before.

**-BS-**

New York, the city that never sleeps, greeted the three travelers with an abundance of hustle and bustle. Bella and Angela had always wanted to visit the Big Apple but had never made it further than a plane terminal as most of their traveling was to jungles, caves, and the occasional site in Egypt. Here they were again, in a plane terminal in NYC with absolutely no time to see the city and even if they did have the time they had no energy.

"Jesus, Edward! This better be our last connection because I am about ready to vomit at the thought of sitting in another plane!" Angela whined.

"Not to worry! Get into the last change of clothes in your bags, then we have a non-stop to Seattle where my brother will meet us," Edward replied, not just a little relieved himself. He had mastered the art of tuning people out, but the close quarters of a plane cabin made it more difficult than usual. It was cmpounded by the extra effort to ignore Bella's potent scent. He realized how very badly he would need to hunt when they arrived home and decided to call and give Emmett the heads up. "Ladies, I'm going to go change now and call my family. I will meet you back here in 30 minutes. Will that give you time to get something to eat, because I can grab some food for you if it won't?"

"Sure," they said in unison, and trudged off to find the restrooms to change into the last set of disguises and toss the ones they were wearing.

**-BS-**

The last leg of their trip was thoroughly uneventful, which gave them all more time to digest what was happening around them.

Bella contemplated two things while airborn. Why did she believe a man she hardly knew? And why did she feel a strong and extremely primal urge to rip every last shred of clothing from his body and fuck him until she couldn't walk? It was disconcerting and totally out of character for her to think like that even if it had been, well, far too long since she had seen a man naked. She thought maybe it was the fact that he was a forbidden fruit or that he had the power to hurt her that added to the already powerful reaction she had at their first meeting. Her twisted mind never ceased to amaze her with its limitless ability to reach new lows of depravity. Really, lusting after a vampire? What the fuck?

**-BS-**

Angela continued to pray for her family's safety and tried desperately to keep her thoughts clean as she didn't really know whether to take Edward's claim of blocking her out literally or not. However, she couldn't stop thinking of what she wanted to do to Ben as soon as she saw him. Those thoughts brought color to her cheeks and an ache to her lady bits that she knew would persist until she had time to herself or was reunited with the love of her life. Fuck, this was a long trip and she left her Rabbit back in France in their rush to leave. A little personal time in the shower would be in order and she just hoped the Cullens had detachable shower heads because...She quickly ceased thinking about anything sexual when she noticed Edward shift in his seat and look a little uncomfortable with his proximity to her. Perhaps if her thoughts were loud enough there was no way to block them. That would go in her "use later" bank for sure. She quickly began categorizing all the works of art in the Louvre to occupy her mind.

**-BS-**

Edward spent the remainder of the flight trying desperately to erase the mental images of Angela naked with her boyfriend. Not that he found her unattractive but it just wasn't right.

**-BS-**

"Flight 256 New York to Seattle will be arriving on time to SeaTac airport at 1:35 pm Pacific Time. We will begin our descent momentarily so please replace your seatbelts, put your seats in the upright position, and replace your trays to the seat backs, locked."

The announcement brought with it a sudden overwhelming feeling of relief mixed with lingering fear. Edward couldn't wait to escape the confines of the plane. He was strong for a vampire but spending so much time around so many people was starting to affect his ability to block out the voices in his head. Next to that, the bloodlust was a piece of cake.

**-BS-**

Departing quickly and practically running through the airport, Edward, Bella, and Angela all breathed deeply when they emerged outside. Bella clung to her backpack like it was her lifeline and hung back from Edward while he searched for his brother.

"There he is, ladies. Emmett, over here," Edward said. His voice didn't change pitch or volume as he summoned his sibling and Bella found it was still difficult to wrap her head around what he was and what he could do.

Both women turned their gaze in the direction Edward pointed and gasped. The man/vampire/giant that was coming at them seemed a study in contradictions. His size alone would indicate he was someone, even if not a natural predator, to be wary of. His face, on the other hand, was kind, gentle, and goofy with dimples a mile deep and a smile that could light Las Vegas. Neither woman knew whether to hug him or run screaming so they stood rooted to their spot.

As Emmett approached, he winked at Bella and Angela while wrapping his massive arms around his brother for a hug that looked remarkably like a wrestling move.

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie…how I have missed your emo ass!" He chuckled.

"Fuck you, Emmy. Lay off the Eddie shit, okay? Let me do a quick introduction and then we need to get the hell outta here. You attract attention like a side show freak in the middle of the desert." Motioning to his left, he indicated the women and began the introductions. "This is Bella Swan, archeologist and resident smart ass. This is Angela Weber, art historian and unfortunate sidekick to the smartass. Ladies, this is Emmett Cullen, beast extraordinaire."

"Eddie, you're an ass! Emmett, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please don't kill me," Bella said, half kidding.

"Oh, you'll do just fine Ms. Bella. I think I will call you Belly. Suits you," Emmett laughed.

"Since I can't threaten you with bodily injury I suppose I will just have to grin and bear it, but you should know I really despise that name, and possibly you now," Bella seethed. Nicknames were not her thing and that one was particularly difficult to swallow.

Emmett moved a step over and pushed his shovel of a hand at Angela. "Pleasure to meet you, Angela. Since you haven't talked I don't have a name for you, but by the time we make it to Forks I'll have it figured out."

"Uh, ok?" was all Angela dared to utter.

Following the walking Sequoia, the group found the Jeep and climbed in. The trip to Forks would take half the time with a speed-loving vampire driving but Edward didn't dare tell them that until they were on their way for fear of them jumping ship and putting themselves in even more danger.

**-BS-**

As they merged onto the highway, Emmett and Edward conversed, vampire style, so that the women couldn't hear. Their mouths moved so fast it looked as though their lips never moved and only another vampire would ever be able to hear them.

"Emmett, I have no idea what we're going to do about the Volturi. There's no fucking way we can fight them off but I will not let them harm the girls or get hold of the tablet. FUCK! Please tell me Jasper has been doing some strategizing," Edward begged.

"He's run through every scenario he can think of but it all comes down to getting more people behind us. Carlisle has talked to the dudes on the Res and the pack is all with us, so that's helpful. I'm so fucking glad they're not a bunch of knobs and they are scary when they fight. It's awesome!" Emmett looked like a little kid as he bounced at the thought of wrestling with the overgrown dogs from the Quiluete Reservation.

"Focus, Em, focus. So, we have the pack with us but we need more vampires. Has Carlisle contacted the Denali and Irish Covens? Jesus Christ, I am NOT looking forward to seeing Tanya again but if it will help our cause then I will put up with her pathetic seduction schemes. Maybe we can get a couple of Dad's rogue friends to visit and keep her busy. She'd totally go for Garrett," Edward mused. He and Tanya Denali had a strained history. She tried to seduce him and he rebuked her at every turn. It was always easy to deny her, even though she was beautiful, because her inner dialogue was as ridiculous and vapid as her actions.

"Bwahahaha, Garrett would hit that in a heartbeat! I think Dad is going to contact anyone and everyone he can but he's a little afraid of raising the flag and alerting the Volturi before we have a plan in place. The Denalis are busy watching over Angela's mom and fiancé. They were told they won a paid trip to a remote cabin for a week and Alice called pretending to be Angela saying she'd meet them there. That lil shit's got balls and a strange ability to imitate. Sorta like a parrot, actually. Anyway, the cabin is on the Denali property & they are taking shifts staying close to protect them. That's not say'n that Tanya won't still find a reason to come here to help." Emmett tried to contain a giggle at that statement before continuing. "Jasper sent word to Maria in Texas and she's agreed to help and keep everything on the down low. She's still pissed that Aro took her best tracker with him the last time they met. Dude's name was Fred or Frank…something that starts with an F. Anyway, she's pissed and looking for a little revenge. She has a small following in the South so they are at our disposal. Jasper said we might have to have this showdown somewhere way up North with as many non-vegetarians as there will be around when this all blows up. Maybe even Isle Esme, 'cept the pack won't be able to help us if we go too far away. If worse comes to worst he thinks the wolves might be enough to keep the meat eaters in line and let the fight play out a little closer to home," Emmett finished.

"Shit, that's a lot to process. So it's possible this is all going to have to take place far away from humans, which makes sense, but if they have a decent tracker we won't be able to leave Bella behind. She'll have to come with us or they'll simply use a fight as a distraction to kidnap her from where we've hidden her." Normally Edward's head didn't swim when given so much to process, because as a vampire the ideas just always fell into place. Unfortunately for him, this time that wasn't the case. Because he had other feelings for Bella and knew how important the tablet was, he just couldn't place everything in nice, neat little compartments in his brain. It was all a muddled mess, sloshing around and bumping into one another. He had never felt more human or fallible.

**-BS-**

For Bella and Angela, the ride to Forks was quiet and contemplative. Both were still wracked with the worries they had since the beginning of the mess that had become their lives. Neither saw an end in sight. Putting words to their emotions and fears was next to impossible, so they settled for occasional glances and heartfelt hand squeezes to get their support across.

As the Jeep pulled into what looked like a trail, they realized they must be close to the Cullens' home. The driveway was narrow, rockey, and canopied with the most vibrantly green trees they had ever seen. It reminded Bella of a picture of a magical garden she had seen in a book when she was young. Given that two supposedly mythical creatures sat in the front seats of the vehicle, she didn't think she was too far off base.

Looking at Angela and shrugging, she decided to ask the obvious question.

"So, are we getting close?"

"Uh, yeah. The house is just ahead. My family has prepared everything you will need, Bella. Angela, I know I mentioned not sending you to your family directly but it seems that my scheming family came up with a brilliant plan that will allow you to leave to be with them immediately. We all think it is wise to keep the two of you hidden separately, essentially make the Volturi choose who is more important, which I'm sure will be Bella. Anyway, there is another family like ours that's taking care of them right now. They were told they won a trip and Alice called them pretending to be you, Angela, to tell them you'd be coming back for a break. Are you two going to be okay being separated?" Edward asked.

Bella looked over at Angela and noticed pleading look in her eyes. She knew Angela really wanted to stay by her and see this through. She also knew that Angela needed to be with the ones she loved, just in case it didn't end well.

Bella sighed deeply before responding.

"I'll be fine. I want Angela to be with her family, especially if I can't be. Besides, it'll be easier to keep one human safe at a time I suppose."

Both men nodded silently as they pulled up to the house. Angela reached over and latched onto Bella's hand, squeezing gently in thanks.

The journey they were sent on mere days ago would continue but they would be sent in different directions. They both prayed to make it out alive and with the tablet intact.

* * *

**This weeks rec's!**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5720172/1/The_Gentleman_from_Washington_State by Betty Smith...this is a wonderfully written and smart story about Senator Cullen and Bella Swan, intern. I know, I know...it's definitely NOT skeevy like the whole Bill Clinton affair. It's sweet and frustrating and a little bit sad but so worth your time to read. **

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5424559/1/Breaking_News by WriteOnTime...Another smartly written original plot. Bella and Edward are put together to co-host a major network evening news broadcast. Edward is an award winning journalist who has seen it all and is quite jaded and perhaps more than a little damaged by it. Bella is a journalist that has always been happy to write the news but never had many aspirations outside of that. They are both intelligent and witty, playing off one another very well, in a snarky manner of course. Sooooooo good! GO READ!**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5809949/1/Catching_Spiders by Lambcullen...I have never been a huge fan of angst that makes you wanna cry with every chapter but if this woman is writing it then I am reading it! This story is, as I repeat to Lambie often, deliciously painful. I want to stop reading because it hurts but just can't. This is quite possibly the most realistic and fucked up Edward I have read yet and Bella is his enabler, his angel, and his unatainable dream...at least that's what he thinks. Bella, for her part, has allowed Edward to mess with her emotions for so long that she is dependent on med's to get through the day. It hurts so good! If you like angst then you will LOVE this and just about anything Lambie writes.**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5544988/1/Incubus_Anomaly by Elusivetwilight...HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS SEXY, Demonward will knock your socks off from the prologue and just keep doing it in every chapter. Bella has been dealt a really shitty past but has a tough outter shell along with a fascination for fast things. Cue the hot guy across the street and his panty melting gazes and you can figure you're in for an amazing ride with this story. Elusive is an incredible writer and, like her bestie Lambcullen, writes angst the only way I can read it...really fucking well!**


	6. Chapter 6 CullensVampire Super Models

**I don't own the characters or places and the idea might have been born of too many hours logged in front of the tv watching Indiana Jones but for the most part the plot is mine...well, that and some awesome chocolate w/ ancho pepper in it...yummmmmmmy!**

**Thank you to my awesom beta duo L and 2littleladies! *bows low* Seriously ladies, I'd look like a fool w/out you. You are the best people, friends, and helpers in the world. You make me all fuzzy and warm inside;)**

**Don't forget to check out the a/n at the bottom for some awesome rec's and if you're in the mood for a new book to read (GASP) then might I suggest the Black Dagger Brotherhood. These dudes are huge (ahem, yes in more than one area), fierce, and loyal. Vampires that walk the line of the traditional idea but w/ a twist that I really flippin like!**

**Now, sorry for the delay in this chapter...RL is being a bit of a bitch to me and LaracFF though I must commend 2littleladies on her VERY fast turn around time...I love you Kel and L, don't worry bout it, ok?**

**So, here's what happens next...**

* * *

Chapter 6

The Cullen's a.k.a. Vampire Super Models

The human occupants of the Jeep climbed warily from its seats. Bella, having already surmised that vampires were by nature beautiful creatures, wondered exactly what lay in wait behind the big blue door of the big white house looming in front of her.

If Edward and Emmett were any indication, then she assumed they would be attractive as well, and hopefully as kind.

Lifting her pack on to her shoulder, she followed behind the two men and Angela, trying to control her breathing so she didn't appear as nervous as she felt. Oddly enough, the quiet fall of the rain around her helped to soothe her frazzled nerves, making it easier to relax even if just a little.

Watching Edward open the door with narrowed eyes, Bella prepared herself for…well, for whatever was going to happen. It seemed unlikely that the inhabitants would be so different from the men in front of her that they would fly out with fangs bared and attack, but after the last several days she wouldn't discount anything. EVER.

Peering around Angela, Bella's eyes immediately landed on the five most stunning people, aside from the two men already with her, that she had ever laid eyes on. There was a tall blond woman with gentle eyes on the left, looking for all the world like she just stepped off of a movie screen from the 40's. Next to her was a tall blond man with the face of an angel. His arms were wrapped around a petite woman with caramel colored hair and an equally angelic and kind face. Beside her was a short black haired woman oozing energy being restrained by yet another handsome blond man. That must be Alice and Jasper. Bella remembered Edward talking about their gifts & Alice's energy. The man she assumed was Jasper was tall with curly hair and a slightly pained look on his face.

She stared, mouth open and unable to speak as Alice walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her tightly. A little too tightly. She couldn't breath.

"Alice, I think you're either scaring her or cutting off her air supply, my love," Jasper cooed, effectively getting Alice to release her over enthusiastic arms from Bella's body.

With a large intake of air, Bella laughed.

Had she really thought they would be ready to consume her the moment she walked in?

"Hello there, Ms. Swan. I'm Jasper, Alice's husband. It's a real pleasure to meet you," Jasper said stiffly.

"Don't mind him. He's the newest convert to our vegetarian lifestyle and it's still a little tough being around delightful smelling humans, such as yourself. You really are intoxicating." Alice sniffed.

Bella's level of apprehension grew with those few short sentences, making her rethink the whole "ready to consume her" thing.

"Mother of fuck, Alice! Do you mind? I think Bella is a little uncomfortable meeting a shit ton of strangers and then you have to go remind her that we're vampires and she smells like a heavenly elixir sent by the gods? Yeah, that'll be calming and make her wanna trust us," Edward muttered, placing a protective arm around Bella's waist and pulling her into his side.

She chanced a peek up into his face to see he was looking down at her with questioning eyes. Her small smile and relaxed body seemed to give him all the reassurance he needed as they both turned back toward the people anxiously awaiting their chance at an introduction.

Emmett, taking advantage of the lull, sidled up to the stunning blond woman and gently pushed her forward with a hand at her back.

"Belly, this is my lovely wife Rosalie. Rosie, this is the amazingly outspoken Ms. Bella Swan. Belly for short! And this is Ms. Angela Weber. She's a little shy, " Emmett stage whispered, which caused Angela and Bella both to laugh.

Rosalie offered her hand in introduction and smiled kindly.

"Bella, Angela, it's wonderful to meet you. I hope you know we will do everything we can to keep both you and your families safe. Emmett and I will be taking you to our friends up north, Angela. I wish you had more time to relax but we really need to keep moving." Rose offered a soft, cool hand to Angela's shoulder, squeezing gently. "We'll take your bag and get it settled in my car while you finish your introductions and say your goodbyes."

Bella mused how very easily it would be to get lost in the topaz eyes and gentle voices of these beautiful people, as Rosalie told her friend of their plans. In that moment she realized how very glad she was to have met Edward, knowing she would be safer here than anywhere else and realizing that in the short time she had known him she had formed a deeper attachment than in any of her previous relationships. This quiet introspection quickly took a turn on the naughty train as she began thinking of the beautiful bronze haired man to her right…naked.

_Aaaand cue the blush!_

"Bella, Angela, it's a pleasure to meet you, as well. My name is Carlisle and this is my wife Esme. I do wish the circumstances were different but we are happy to help get Angela to safety with her family and excited to host you, Bella, in our home. Once everyone is on their way or settled we will go over the security we have set up and what we expect to happen. I believe Alice has some new information for us as well." Carlisle offered his cool hand to the girls as well, which was followed by a quick hello and hug from Esme.

After letting Esme go reluctantly, Angela straightened up and lunged to give Edward a hug of epic proportions. If he hadn't been a supernaturally strong person she would have knocked him on his ass, but his steady form simply absorbed her friendly gesture and returned it with equal enthusiasm, minding the very breakable human in his grasp.

"Mr. Beautiful, you rock. You and your family have done so much for me. I know I'll never be able to repay you because I don't have much to offer but if you're ever in a bind please know you can count me as a friend. I won't say goodbye because I WILL see you again. I will say thank you and take care of my girl there. She may have a smart mouth but she's as squishy inside as the next girl. Don't let her bully you around." Angela grabbed Edward's slack jawed face and planted a nice wet kiss on his cheek. If vampires could blush she's pretty sure he would have been the color of a strawberry.

Turning to face Bella, she sucked in a large breath and let it out slowly. She was scared for her friend as it was her the crazies were looking for. She could tell by the look in Bella's eyes that she was doing her best to simply get through this goodbye with a brave façade.

"Bells, don't give Hottie McArchaeologist a hard time, okay? I mean, you can give him a HARD time but not a hard time…if you know what I mean." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively before continuing, completely aware that Edward was once again sporting the invisible blush look again. "I will only be a phone call away and I know I'll be safe. I trust the Cullens to know how to keep you alive and well and maybe you'll get lucky and have some fun. I love you Bells. You're like a sister to me and I know everything will be okay." Angela grabbed Bella, bringing her in close for a hug only sisters can share and understand, related or not.

They both sobbed quietly into the others shoulder until Angela felt the familiar rumbling of Bella's laughter.

"What?" Angela asked.

"You said HARD!" Bella replied and they both dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Slowly shifting herself away from Bella and wiping her face, she turned to the mountain of a man waiting patiently with his arms wrapped around Rosalie.

"Alright EmmieEm, lets you, me, and this gorgeous wife of yours get going. You know Rose, if I batted for the other team I would totally be into you!" She giggled as Emmett's eyebrows arched and a goofy smile spread across his face.

"You know, we could arrange for a little trial period, my little art historian," Emmett replied.

Before he could move out of the way, Rose smacked him upside the head and wrapped her arms around Angela's waist as she laughed.

"I'll take that as a high compliment, my dear. You and I are going to have a blast on this little road trip…"

**-BS-**

With that, their talking continued but they were too far out of earshot for Bella to hear anymore. Sighing deeply she looked at Edward and motioned to the house where the remainder of the family had already returned.

"Do I get the grand tour now or later?" she asked.

"Well, I think it would be wise for me to feed you, my captive little human and then I can give you the tour. Carlisle has a lot to go over with us but when he is done you will have plenty of time to rest if you'd like."

"Food sounds wonderful but since you don't eat people food, why don't I do my own cooking?"

"Oh, well, actually I think Esme has already made something for you. Don't give me that look! We may not eat but we have endless hours at our disposal and Esme likes to cook, and bake, and garden," Edward mused. "It really would be ridiculous but she takes everything to a shelter in Port Angeles so nothing goes to waste. I happen to know for a fact that she is nearly jumping out of her fucking skin to have first hand knowledge of how well she's mastered her abilities. Please be gentle," he begged.

"I'm a shit liar so I really hope I don't hurt her feelings." Bella shrugged.

**-BS-**

Edward left Bella humming quietly in appreciation for Esme's cooking as Esme smiled widely.

He needed to catch up with Carlisle and Alice before they laid it all out on the table for Bella. He also needed Carlisle's help in locating any and all books that might be of benefit in deciphering the etchings on Bella's tablet.

As he walked into the study, he noticed Jasper in the far corner pouring over books and maps, which peaked his curiosity.

"What are you doing there, brother?" he asked.

"Strategizing. I'm committing some of the Volturi's patented attack formations to memory in case we need them. I've been able to come up with several counter attacks but there are a few that I will only be able to break once Maria arrives," Jasper commented off-handedly.

The thought of Maria and her band of newborns entering their tiny hamlet immediately put Edward on guard.

"Do you really think it's necessary for her to come, Jazz? I mean, newborns are so unpredictable and we have to protect Forks and the innocents around us."

"We've already worked out a plan of action with the pack. Maria's army will be housed 100 miles from here and surrounded around the clock by the wolves and the older keepers that Maria has trained. Carlisle has acquired enough blood to sate them for a month or more, though Alice says this will all go down within the next two weeks. It seems the Volturi's biggest weakness is their pride in the power they hold. They think it makes them invincible."

Edward scrubbed his hands through his hair, pulling lightly before wiping his face.

"Shit, we only have, at best, two weeks to prepare and decipher that damn tablet? Fuck, Bella's going to have a coronary. Let Carlisle handle telling her this when she comes in. I have a feeling she'll be able to take it better coming from him."

"Will do. Lord knows I don't want to be at the receiving end of a woman's rant." Jasper winked.

Edward spent the remainder of his time waiting talking to Carlisle and Alice. They were all trying to find the best way to fill Bella in without overwhelming her with the scary facts. He would do anything to keep his crazy, beautiful Bella from feeling the full weight of the situation but he knew she was far too smart to be pacified with a mere glossing over.

_What the fuck Cullen…My Bella?_

**-BS-**_  
_

After eating her fill of the most delicious eggplant parmesan she had ever tasted and drinking what felt like her weight in homemade lemonade, Bella sat back and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe her luck. Not only did she have immortally gorgeous creatures protecting her but they could fucking cook too.

"Thank you so much, Esme. I can't say I have ever had a better meal. I just wish you weren't grossed out by the thought of trying it yourself." Bella opened one eye to peer at the mother hen currently fawning all over her and giggled.

"It was my pleasure, dear. I must say, you ate like you hadn't touched food for years. Didn't my son take care of you on the way here?"

"Well, honestly we didn't have much time for real food so we just made do with what we could. This is the first honest to goodness meal I've had in about three days. But it wasn't Edward's fault, so go easy on him. I'm glad he rushed us to get here. I feel safe and I know Angela is safe as well. That's what really matters," Bella replied.

"Well, just because you're vouching for him I'll let it slide…this time." Esme winked at Bella and motioned for her to follow as she walked them to Carlisle's den.

As they entered, the room hushed and all eyes focused on the only heartbeat in the house.

"WHAT!" Bella yelled.

Her loud exclamation broke the tension in the room and everyone laughed, except the human.

"Laugh it up everyone. After all, it's not like the weak little human can do anything about it. Harumph!" Bella sulked.

Edward walked over to his charge and lifted her chin.

"Bella, we aren't laughing at you, we're laughing at ourselves. We are all so scared of saying too much and overwhelming you that we've not been able to agree on just what to tell you and how." He smoothed her hair away from her face in a manner that seemed to purposefully show intimacy.

"Here's the deal, I've already hit my quota of freak outs for the year so everything else is just gravy. Besides, I'm a big girl. I know we're all in an insane amount of danger and I want to know what we can do about it. I'd also like to get started on the translation as soon as possible so we know exactly what secret these Volturi people are after. Maybe we can use it against them." She shrugged and straightened herself up to her full 5'4" height, realizing a bit late that she looked anything but intimidating.

"Well then, let's fill her in and get started on that tablet. I must say that I'm terribly excited translating such an old text," Carlisle mused. The glint of excitement in his eye was unmistakable as he set about explaining to Bella the perils they were facing and the plans of action they had set into motion.

**-BS-**

After an exhausting discussion about who the Volturi were, what they could do, Jasper's plans for defense, and the best way to keep Bella safe they all agreed that it was time for her to rest.

Bella, while thoroughly spent, was hell bent on beginning the work on the tablet before she would consider sleeping. She hunkered down with both Edward and Carlisle in the study ready to crack the mystery before them.

Putting a pair of gloves Edward laid out she reverently pulled the tablet from her worn backpack and placed it carefully in the center of the coffee table on a soft cloth. To the trained eye it was an amazing piece of history but to a lay-person it would simply look like a piece of stone with scribbles on it. It was roughly the size of a piece of paper and quite thin, perhaps something akin to a children's book. Too thin to actually take a hammer and chisel to it without grinding it to dust and the stone was much too hard to simply scrape these forms into.

"Here it is. Mr. Cullen, I truly hope you have something that can help us with this."

"Please Bella, it's Carlisle, and we shall see. This really is a remarkable find, my dear. Remarkable." Carlisle gently picked up the tablet, turning it from side to side, running his fingers over the markings as though he too were trying to figure out how it was all possible.

"Well, there's no time like the present to get started," Carlisle said.

A short time later her soft snores could be heard from the couch she had perched on. Edward knew if she were left to rest there she wouldn't sleep as long as she should so he gently lifted her and carried her up the stairs to the spare room. Laying her out on the bed, with her silken hair splayed across the pillows, he marveled at her beauty. She looked like a painting even in her rumpled travel clothes and weary worn face.

Divesting her of her shoes, he covered her with a throw and crept from the room, turning at the last moment in the hopes of memorizing the way she looked in that moment and that is when he heard it.

"Edward," she moaned.

His mind was ablaze with the possibilities of what that one short utterance meant. He decided to try waking her to make sure she was fine before leaving again, and walked to the edge of the bed, sitting softly. The rise and fall of her chest drew his eyes to her breasts, her nipples straining through her top and taunting him with their rigidity. Before he could stop himself he reached out and gently stroked the hardened mound with his cool fingertip, cursing himself when both he and Bella moaned.

Collecting himself as much as he could, he reached for her shoulder and shook her gingerly.

"Bella? Bella?" he repeated her name several times before she began to wake.

"Edward? Where am I?" She blinked her eyes rapidly and stretched he arms above her head, allowing her shirt to ride up and expose the flesh of her stomach.

"Uh…well, you see…FUCK! What did you ask?" Edward stammered, pulling his eyes from her waist to her face.

"Where am I? I thought we were working on the tablet downstairs." She smiled.

"We are but you fell asleep and I thought you would get more rest in your room than on the couch so I brought you up here. I was just getting ready to leave when you said my name and you kinda sounded worried so I wanted to wake you and make sure nothing was wrong. And then you go and stretch like a fucking cat looking all glorious and shit…I'm rambling. I was just worried about you."

"I look like a cat when I stretch?" she responded, and her smile grew wider.

"Yes, and if you are going to give me shit for finding you difficult to ignore then I suppose I should mention that I've heard you don't think I'm exactly ugly. That information is compliments of Angela, actually. I recall something about Mr. Beautiful and a rather erotic dream…"

"FINE! You win, I think you're hot and also find it difficult to ignore you. Happy now?" she pouted.

"Extremely, thank you," Edward responded. "Would you let me try something Bella?"

"Well, that would depend on what it was Mr. Used-to-be-Beautiful-but-is-now-a-pain-in-my-ass. Ask first and we'll go from there."

"I'd like to kiss you, though I'm not actually sure I can. Your blood smells especially appealing to me but I must admit that the allure of your mind and body seems much stronger," he confessed, looking sheepish.

"I suppose that would be okay but you have to promise not to attack me 'cause that would piss me off more than you could know. Oh, and by attack I mean bite me or whatever." She squared her shoulders and fixed him with a stare that said she meant business. It was intimidating and alluring all at once.

"I'll go slowly and if you are uncomfortable just tell me, okay?"

"Okay. Now, stop stalling and lay one on me because honestly I have been dying to find out how soft your lips are since I met you in the office." Bella leaned in closer and reached forward with her hands, laying them on his thigh and massaging the muscle there.

Edward met her halfway and groaned at the feel of her hands on his leg as their lips met and formed to the other. It was bliss for both and the mixture of cool hardness and warm pliability was intoxicating. Careful to keep his teeth away from her lips, they continued to deepen their kiss and before long let their hands roam.

Bella reveled in the softness of Edward's hair as she clung to it and pushed into him. Dislodging her leg from the throw wrapped around her legs, she scooted around until she was sitting squarely in his lap, the feel of his raging erection between her legs. With minimal effort she began grinding her aching center against his fabric covered cock and they both uttered curses about too many clothes.

"Bella, this is far easier than I ever imagined it being but are you sure this is what you want?" Edward asked.

"I have never wanted a man more and if we really are in fear of losing our fucking lives then I say we don't waste any more fucking time talking and just fucking please each other until someone drags us from this room," she panted.

"Bella, could you please stop saying 'fucking' 'cause it's really making it difficult to go slow and savor this experience?" Edward whispered.

"Right. No more fucking. Edward, if you don't take my clothes off right now and take me I will make sure that every other word I use has some sort of sexual connotation. Like pussy or cock."

With that Edward growled and began tearing Bella's jeans and shirt off with careful precision until she lay beneath him in all her naked glory.

"Holy fuck, Ms. Swan. I thought you were perfect with your clothes on but you are maddeningly glorious with them off. I may not last long." He began kneading her breasts gently with his hands before lowering his mouth and languidly stroking her nipple with his tongue.

"Ung, Edward? Holy shit…Edward, I need to level the playing field a little here. If I'm naked then you have to be naked. Now." She requested firmly.

Just as he was beginning to undress Bella noticed his face fall.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

"Fuck me, of all the times my family pulls this shit it's when I'm about to sex up the most beautiful woman I have ever known and get laid for the first time in 50 years. Bella, stay right there! I mean it…don't fucking move an inch and don't even think of putting clothes back on! I'm being summoned to a family meeting but it won't take long, I promise, ok?" He tried to sound reassuring but thought, in his frustration, he might just be missing the mark.

"Ok, but I am going to crawl under the covers. IF I fall asleep you sure as hell better wake me up and I don't mean shaking my shoulder, buddy. There are far more pleasant ways to be awakened and I am fairly sure you will be aces at all of them." She winked as he leaned in to place one more kiss on her lips and then her breast before groaning again.

"FUCK! I'M COMING, YOU IMPATIENT BASTARD"S! Remember, no clothes…none, nada, neine!"

"Jesus Eddie, I get it. I will remain naked for your viewing pleasure. GO!" She shooed him off the bed as he made a disgruntled noise.

"What did I say about that name?"

"Oh, I know but I'm hoping you'll want to "punish" me when you get back."

"Bella, you are playing with fire and I'm in the mood to get burned. I'll be back soon…very, very soon."

With his final words he shut the door on a now very aroused and very worn out Bella Swan. The thought of sleeping was both heaven and hell until she realized that per her instructions he was to wake her up using his male ingenuity. Suddenly she couldn't drift off quick enough. She might be on the verge of a life or death battle but tonight was going to be a battle of libidos that they were both sure to win.

* * *

**So, there you have it *hides under bed to avoid hurled items*. Not to worry, lots of things get *clears throat* resolved in the next chapter...I promise!**

**Please, please, please review. I know you're out there reading and would absolutely love to hear what you have to say...constructively, of course;)**

**On to this week's recs:**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5887064/1/ by Buzzkill34...I was turned onto this story by my dear friend and author of Bella Voce, Morgan Locklear. This fic is written by another man (who's also a sugarpie;) and is only three chapters in but sooooooooo good. The prologue gives you an idea about what type of vamps we're working with and I have to say they aren't SM's version...AT ALL! Edward is very old, very powerful, and still hot as hell. Bella is walked on at work and on her walk home one night her life changes but that is not when she meets Edward. Outside of that I don't really know much except that I am addicted to his wonderful writing and mysterious plot. I look forward to seeing the next update and I can tell you this lil story has my attention in a HUGE way. Watch out for this author because I think he's gonna knock our socks off!  
**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5885420/1/The_Mail_Order_Bride by Lady Gwynedd...This is a great period fic set in late 1800's frontier Colorado. Extremely well written and wonderful to read you will find rancher Edward to be the epitome of good and former rancher turned gambler Jacob Black to be...well, let me put it this way...Edward dons a white Stetson and Jacobs is black;) You see where I'm going w/ this? The whole cast and crew is there or alluded to and the last chapter had a bit of a surprise in it. I love the sweet but hot lemons and the imagery throughout is amazing. A must read my dears!**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5850826/1/ The Confidence Man by OhMyWord...Another amazing story by one of my favorite authors. This is an Edward you will hate to love but I know there is so much more to his story than we are aware of. Bella is a thinker and works hard to not be taken in by anyone but what happens when a professional gets hold of her? This story is gearing up to be a heart clencher and I can only hope there will be an HEA in the end but you just never know. Definitely a good read my dears!**


	7. Chapter 7 Titillation and Translations

**If I owned Twilight or any of the characters I wouldn't be writing fanfic for sure:) I own nothing but I am working on my own novel...perhaps one day I will have something on the shelves of your local book store.**

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you all. My lovely betas both had some issues that restricted their ability to make my writing shine. L was sicker than a hairy dog in the heat of summer but is doing better now...thanks for taking time to do this for me, ks. I can't tell you how very much it means to me...how very much you mean to me! 2littleladies was without internet for an entire weekend and I'm not completely sure how she handled that! Kel, thanks for getting this to me so quickly after your service was restored. Your help and your friendship are invaluable.**

**I also had a little help with the lemon...that's right, I said LEMON...for this chapter in the form of two lovely ladies c. anna cullen and Kimpy0464. Their help has hopefully made this lemon as steamy as it can get...or at least as steamy as I'm comfortable writing:) Both women are amazing writers and incredible friends. I am blessed.**

**And finally, to my pre-reader and resident archaeologist, Aspenleaf ...lady, you have no idea how glad I am that you are in my corner. Our brainstorming sessions and your knowledge of all things ancient make my day a lot brighter. Thanks for listening to my whines and offering your shoulder...{MUAH}.**

**Without further ado...Chapter 7...**

* * *

Chapter 7

Titillation & Translation

"Son of a mother fucker…this had better be important or I'm tearing a limb from each of you and hiding it," Edward mumbled as he made his way, at human speed, to the den. Acting the petulant child really wasn't his modus operandi but after all the frustration, fear, and pent up sexual tension of the last week he couldn't be bothered to care how childish his actions seemed.

The look on the faces of his family as he entered the room seemed to be a mix of amusement and seriousness. The effect was confusing and to make matters worse, every single one of them was reciting a different poem to block their thoughts.

"All right, what the hell is it?" he huffed, throwing himself onto the leather couch with an audible creak of the wooden frame.

"Sorry son, we know you were…er, otherwise occupied but this can't wait. I may have found the text we need to make the translation, though I'll wait until Bella wakes to expound further on that point. The other issue, as it were, is that you are in desperate need of a hunt. We all know what you were in the middle of, and to be honest, I think it reckless to be intimate with Bella while you are so obviously in need of nourishment. As she's asleep now, I would suggest you go on a quick hunt and pick up where you left off when you return." Edward could see the corners of Carlisle's mouth twitching. Obviously his adopted father found humor in his physical pain. Wonderful.

"Fine, I'll hunt but I won't be gone long. When I get back, I would prefer that you all make yourselves scarce, by at least fifty miles. I don't need Jasper screwing with my emotions or the sound of my family's comments." Edward stood as he finished and took a moment to glare at each of the four Cullens around him. His face softened momentarily before asking, "I did mean to ask if anyone has heard from Em and Rose. I want to make sure they aren't having any difficulty getting Angela to the Denalis."

Jasper, looking for all the world like he was trying not to smile, was the first to answer. "Rosalie called about ten minutes ago and they're still on the road. They've not experienced any issues but they both seem rather nervous. I think they might have trouble upon their return, to be honest."

"Alice, haven't you had any visions? I know we rely on you for this but I just think if something were to go awry that you would be the first to know." Edward sat back down and buried his head in his hands, awaiting Alice's response.

"Someone is messing with my vision. I'm not sure but I assume the Volturi have amassed a great number of talented individuals and perhaps one of them can block me. As for complications with Em and Rose, well I had a vision while you were, er, occupied. Someone is following them, a big guy but together they are able to subdue him. I've got nothing past that. Angela and her family are quite safe with Tanya's family so, again this is only an assumption, I feel that the Volturi are concerned with only Bella at this point. I wish I could give everyone more," Alice whispered.

Standing up once again and walking purposefully to his sister's side, Edward wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He didn't need to be an empath like Jasper to know that she was hurting. Alice's visions were always the family's savior, and Edward feared that she felt quite useless without them.

"Alice, you're doing everything you can. Don't let it get to you. For now, train with your husband, as we all should and prepare those skills while your mind rests." Leaning down he kissed his sister on the head. "I'm leaving now and expect all of you to be gone when I return."

**-BS-**

One hour, two deer, and a shower later, Edward was crawling into the guest bed with Bella. His mind was still a buzz with questions regarding what he felt toward this warm human and why.

Pushing all thoughts of confusion or fear for the breakable creature next to him aside, he carefully pulled the blankets from her body. Still naked, she lay exposed as his hands and eyes caressed every soft inch of her skin. Her demand before he left still fresh in his mind, he decided that an orgasm would be quite a pleasant wake up call and situated himself between her legs.

The moment he parted her thighs her scent intensified, thick and musky, and enveloped his senses. Every part of her aroused every part of him. If vampires could have soul mates then she was surely his.

Leaning over her slumbering form, he placed a gentle kiss on her open mouth as his fingers massaged the soft hair of the vee between her legs before sliding further into her heat. She was wet and warm and all things female. He had to have a taste. Returning to kneel between her thighs, he took a deep breath in and was suddenly very thankful for Carlisle's insistence that he hunt before he continued touching Bella. The ever present burn he felt in her presence was harsh but controllable.

_Breathe._

_Touch._

_Lean._

_Lick._

As his tongue made its way through her pink folds the taste was ambrosia and the thought struck him that if her body tasted this incredible her blood would surely do him in. That was most definitely not a train of thought he wanted to continue so he threw himself into pleasuring his sleeping human in the hopes she would wake soon so that he could once again feel her touch.

Taking her slightly swollen clit in between his lips, he tugged playfully before letting his tongue run a relentless circuit around the reddened flesh. Pulling back slightly he exhaled, letting his icy breath bathe her heated sex, eliciting a shiver from Bella. Before she could react any further he began flicking his tongue across her clit rapidly, knowing the effect this move would have on her.

"Mmmmmmmm, Edward? OH FUCK, just like that. Right there," Bella moaned and Edward's dick jumped.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We have some things we need to finish," Edward whispered. Looking up at her through hooded eyes, he stroked her with his cool tongue again and watched her squirm with pleasure. His fingers traveled from her thighs to her stomach and back to her thighs, leaving goose bumps in his wake. He traced indecipherable images into her flesh before sliding two fingers into her heat, curving them just so to find that one spot that would drive her mad.

**-BS-**

"HOLY…FUCK…EDWAAAAAAAAARRRRRRD!" Bella exclaimed as her entire body shook beneath Edward's skilled touch. She had arched her back off the bed in an effort to get closer to his delicious tongue and fingers as she came.

Every muscle pulled tight and still arched, she let the remainder of pleasure wash over her as Edward continued his slow teasing. The sounds falling from her mouth were wanton and a little slutty but she couldn't find it in herself to care, not that she would anyway.

"Mmmmmm, so good," he hummed, sending tiny shockwaves through her body as his lips were still touching her sensitive girly bits.

"Is that a compliment or did you imagine I had a skanky vag?" Bella laughed. Sex with this man was all encompassing and thoroughly passionate but there was never a time that didn't require a little laughter to keep it all grounded.

"Bella, the shit you say should totally turn me off…skanky vag? Really?" he inquired, pulling himself up her body. Not waiting for her reply he continued, "Actually, I had imagined it was pretty fucking awesome but that was…that was heaven, an oasis in the desert, my favorite things all rolled into one pretty pink package."

"Cullen, you sound like a girl. Are you sure you're a vampire? Do vampires carry man cards, cause I'm positive your brothers will be tearing that shit up soon after that little display." She giggled. In truth, she found what he said truly beautiful and had never met a man that was so open, especially when talking about her nether regions. Come to think of it, she should probably be squicked out by his comments but opted to focus on the romance of the situation instead.

"Shut it, Swan and let me hear you scream my name…again," Edward said, leaning down to kiss her. The evil glint in his eye should have bothered Bella but it only served to make her wetter.

Reaching between them, Bella grabbed his cock and began stroking firmly as he groaned into her mouth. Realizing that this might be her last chance to enjoy giving a man head she pushed on his shoulder to urge him to lay down. Though she was sure it put her in a minority of women, she enjoyed pleasing a man with her mouth and this man was sure to solidify that particular fetish.

"Edward, I'm going to give you a little taste of your own medicine so just lay back and enjoy it."

Using both hands she scratched down his stomach and the tops of his thighs until they nestled in the hair between his legs. Her mouth kissed the underside of his rigid flesh as her fingers played teasingly with his balls. She loved the feel of the skin there, cool, smooth, and just a little pliable. Almost like giant marbles surrounded by a metal mesh yet strangely erotic. This was as close to nirvana as she would get without sitting in a pit of dirt.

"Shit. That feels amazing. UNG!" Edward moaned.

His noises pushed her to new levels of ferocity as she plunged her mouth onto his dick and sucked greedily. Knowing he was indestructible gave her pause. What would normally be too rough for a guy might totally feel good to him. As inspiration struck she began kneading his balls, pulling them roughly and squeezing them as hard as she could.

"HOLY FUCK BELLA JUST LIKE THAT!" Edward grunted.

Continuing the rough play, she decided to ramp up her efforts another notch. The intense sucking she was doing seemed to be delivering some pleasure but her cheeks were burning with the effort. Her teeth on the other hand might be just enough to send him over the edge. Testing this theory she ran them along his shaft on her way up, which caused a sharp intake of breath and shudder from her willing subject. He also screamed unintelligibly, again.

After just a few more strokes and a well-placed nip on the sensitive tip she felt his muscles tighten as he tried to pull away. Shaking her head she sank back down onto him fully, letting his cock hit the back of her throat and swallowed hard. Just then she felt his hands land rather solidly on her head as his hips flexed minutely into her mouth. Normally being held down like that would have put her in a panic but, again, it only aroused her more…and then he started swearing.

"SON OF A BITCH…FUCK…SHIT…DAMN IT…MOTHER FUCKER! YOUR MOUTH IS FUCKING AMAZING… I'M COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…" Edward screamed.

In that moment Bella was just glad he had a manly sort of scream because if it had come out high pitched and squeaky she wouldn't have been able to continue. As it was, listening to him come completely undone made her, you guessed it, even wetter. She was fairly sure she was leaving a spot the size of Lake Superior on the bed.

Cleaning him off completely, she snaked her way back up his body, enjoying the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he panted. She took stock of the torn sheets and mattress topper below him, realizing that she was indeed lucky he took out that passion on the inanimate objects around him rather than her head. Reaching his face, she paused to trace his lips with her fingertip. His lips were perfectly shaped and soft but firm. Leaning in she took his bottom lip in hers and nibbled it with her teeth while Edward tried to talk around the assault.

"Woman, you have no idea how long I've waited for someone like you. The fact that you're human makes it all the more bizarre and oddly perfect." He sighed, gazing into her eyes as though he were looking for answers to the world's great mysteries.

"I gave up looking ages ago, myself. I'm really hoping this isn't just a last bid to scratch an itch before we die," she whispered in return.

"If it is, then what a way to go. But I have a feeling there's more between us than desperate sex. For now, let's just enjoy what we have."

Between them she could feel the strong pulse of his dick as it throbbed back to life. The sensation and sheer quickness of it set her laughing and she couldn't stop.

"You know, laughing whilst in the middle of mind blowing sex is irreversibly damaging to the male ego, Swan." Edward snickered.

"Yeah, it sounds like your ego has taken a huge hit, asshat."

"What are you laughing about anyway? Did I look that ridiculous or something?" Edward pinched his eyes closed tight as though he were waiting for her response to land an embarrassing blow.

"Not at all. As a matter of fact you have the sexiest 'O' face I have ever seen and the screaming…holy mother! The screaming was the best. I'm laughing because I find the fact that a mere nibbley kiss on your mouth could start Mr. Beautiful Jr. off again. I figured someone of your advanced age would need a little more recovery time before round two," she quipped, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"My advanced age? You know, I'm actually only 17, or my body is. Being a vampire only ensures that I will never need much 'recovery' time, my beautifully warped Bella. As a matter of fact, why are we talking when we could be…"

Instead of finishing his sentence, he grabbed her face gently and kissed her ferociously. She was floating on a cloud with kittens and butterflies and unicorns and…just as she was about to lose herself in the intensity of the kiss her grabbed her hips and ground them into his lap. He hit all the right spots and the sensation made her toes curl with excitement. Not one to lose an opportunity, she resituated herself, lips still firmly attached to his, and sank down onto his cock with a satisfying hiss.

"Ohmagah, you've been blessed with the most perfect peen," she mused, out loud.

Beneath her she heard her hiss echoed in his as well as some more well-placed sentiments about her own highly blessed lady bits.

**-BS-**

The sheer magnitude of pleasure Edward received as her pussy hugged his raging hard on could never be measured by human standards. She was hot, wet, and tight. He could feel every contour and ridge inside her walls and knew if he didn't take a few minutes to just absorb the feelings, he would blow before she could make a full up and down motion. Holding her hips firmly, he looked in her eyes, praying she would understand that he needed her to stay still for just a few moments. She returned the look with one of her own that seemed to indicate she needed that time as well.

With a deep breath, he rocked his hips into her and pushed her down further, trying to bury himself as far inside her as possible and moaned when he felt her contract around him. Reluctantly he eased up on his hold and they both began an easy motion that caused them to whimper with each push and pull.

"Christ, you feel so incredible," Edward moaned.

"Fuck me, keep talking," Bella demanded.

This statement took Edward by surprise. He had never had a partner ask him to talk during sex…dirty or otherwise. He also realized that not being able to hear Bella's every thought made the entire experience so much better.

Bella's rhythm became more desperate, filling the room with the sounds of her ass hitting his thighs. Grunts, moans, and the occasional curse word fell from her lips as he followed the motion of her tits before reaching out and molding his hands to them, squeezing gently.

"Bella, fuck…faster. Uh, your…is…FUCK!" He was unable to finish his sentence as she rode him hard and fast. Her tempo changed again when she stopped pumping and began grinding in small circles, allowing him to feel every part of her core. If he let her continue this titillating dance he would be done in a matter of seconds so he took things into his own hands, literally, and flipped them over, never losing contact.

"Unnnnnnnnnnng. Ohmagah thah issssss sooooooooo goooooooooooo…" Bella muttered.

Edward mumbled a few expletives as he sat up on his knees and grabbed both of her legs, throwing them over his shoulders while he continued his gentle movement.

"Yesssssssss. Harder, please Edward. Harder," she whimpered.

Mindful that her harder and his harder were quite different, he increased his speed by a hair and pushed into her with a touch more force. He could feel her breathing pick up and her muscles quiver. He could smell the intoxicating aroma of her blood as her body temperature rose. He could see her eyes lose focus and finally close as the rest of her mouth began forming the 'o' of a guttural moan. All these signs alerted him that she was close to release. Teasing her clit with whispered touches, he finally pressed on her engorged flesh, sending her screaming and arching as she came…hard…again.

The violent writhing and constant moans drove him over the edge and he too plunged into the depths of pleasure. Pleasure such as he had never felt with any partner in his life, immortal or living, but had dreamt of when he let his mind wander.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" he ground out, body tense with orgasm. He couldn't move nor did he want to. His only thought was to prolong the feeling by staying tightly situated inside Bella's warmth for as long as possible. Looking down, he thought she might feel the same way.

**-BS-**

Edward's grip on Bella's thighs was bordering on painful as they both came down from the orgasmic high they were riding, but she could not and did not want to move an inch. Eyes closed, mouth open, she sat up enough to grab him and bring his body to lay next to hers. The chill of his skin was a welcomed balm to her thoroughly overheated body.

Panting, they lay beside one another, hands still rubbing and soothing for what seemed like eons. It was nice and caring, two things she had never had never come across in her post coital experience.

"You do know we can't just lay here basking in the glow of fuck hot sex forever?" she asked.

Edward sighed deeply before responding. "I suppose you'd be right if we thought we were done but I'm pretty sure I have a few more rounds in this old worn body of mine. What do you say we have another go?"

"I guess I could take one for the team and give you another chance to prove you deserve your man card. Besides, there's this thing I can do with my tongue that would blow your…"

Edward's mouth descended on Bella's before the final word could pass her lips, signaling the start of round two…

Which led to rounds three,

four,

and five.

After which Bella needed a few human moments to freshen up in the shower…leading to round six.

Figuring it was a good thing to keep the numbers even and not wanting to exhaust Bella overly much, she fell asleep while Edward hummed her various tunes from his childhood. Relaxation took her as she floated on a cloud of bliss, pleasantly numb.

**-BS-**

After two hours of dreamless sleep, Bella woke. Edward was no longer beside her but had left a note to meet him and his father in the den. There was a development with the tablet translation.

She was completely lost without her field journal, which was sitting uselessly back in the cave with the damn camera. If she had had that journal when she and Edward had begun trying to decipher the text in his apartment, they might have actually made some headway. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'no use in crying over lost material.'

Launching herself from the bed with the grace of an elephant, she stumbled to her bag for a change of clothes. Her breath was coming in hard pants as she struggled into her t-shirt and jeans, nearly tearing a hole in the crotch of the pants with her heavy foot. Opting to forgo socks or shoes, she threw her hair up in a messy bun and all but ran down the stairs in her haste to learn the news.

It was precisely this overzealous rush that clouded her judgment as she wheeled around the corner at the bottom of the stairs and was met with a solid object and flailing arms. It took mere seconds for the crunch of her nose to register before she felt the warm ooze of blood trickle onto her lip. The growl from the wall she hit took her by surprise. At that point she realized it wasn't a wall at all as the hands that she assumed had been hers flailing about were quite a bit larger and cold.

Looking up, she was met with the most predatory face she could ever recall seeing and just as she saw her life flash before her he was gone. She felt a breeze of Edward infused air whiff by her face at the same time Jasper disappeared, and realized that not only was her hot vampire lover a killer in the sack, but he was also now her own personal hero.

Collapsing to the ground, Bella tried desperately to wipe away the one thing that could most definitely get her killed in a house full of vampires when she felt a new set of equally large and cold hands grasp her upper arms to pull her up and lead her into the den. It was Carlisle and his face was anything but predatory. His face was that of a saint, a doctor, a father. He looked sad and weary though she knew he didn't need to sleep. Moments after she sat down he handed her a wet cloth and then began speaking.

"I'm so sorry Bella. Jasper is our newest member and still finds it a tad difficult to be around humans, let alone bleeding humans. Edward and Alice have taken him some ways away now, so I can get you all cleaned up. He intends to apologize when he returns and please know that his reaction was merely that, an instinctual reaction. I am actually quite pleased that he had the ability to fight the urge to kill you immediately and send a warning cry to Edward telepathically. It pays to have an abnormally fast vampire living in your home. And by abnormally fast, I do mean that by vampire standards." Carlisle chuckled before continuing the examination of her nose. "Well, it doesn't look severe but I'm sure there's a slight fracture given the crunch I heard when you hit Jasper. You'll likely have little swelling and some dark circles under your eyes but there's no need to split it. Just be careful and keep your eyes up, ok?" He smiled kindly at Bella and pulled her into a soothing hug before leaving the room.

When he returned he handed Bella a new shirt and left the room to let her change. When she was done she signaled and he returned, taking her bloodied shirt and dowsing it in alcohol before setting it aflame in the metal trash bin.

"Now then, let's get down to business and decipher this tablet. What do you say, Ms. Swan?"

"I say, hell yeah! Lead on, Dr. Cullen."

Settling in front of the coffee table that housed the tablet, Carlisle handed Bella one of three books sitting out. One was clearly a field journal that looked like it belonged in a display case in a museum.

"Um, this looks remarkably like a very old field journal but I was told you weren't an archaeologist," Bella muttered.

"Well, technically I'm not. No formal training and all, but there was a time when men learned all they needed in the trenches, so to speak. This is my field journal from my time in Egypt during the early part of the 19th century. There was still great debate about what the Egyptian hieroglyphs meant, even with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. Having been around a few centuries by then I had taken time to study all the ancient languages and saw things others didn't. All my notes are based on what I observed. I actually worried that my book was lost to time when I uncovered it in a box of my things in the attic. It will likely prove the most useful."

Bella flipped through the age stained pages with care and marveled at the detail on each page. She held a piece of history in her palm, something she was quite used to but never had she had a chance to speak to the person who had created it. The magnitude of that small revelation hit her like a Mac truck, leaving her breathless.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Carlisle laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Um…oh! Yeah, I just realized that not only am I holding a book that is 200 years old but I'm also sitting here with its author. It's kind of an archaeologist's dream. Just hit me, you know?"

Carlisle let loose a very loud laugh and squeezed her shoulder once more before he let go.

"It's nice to see someone so in awe of something I find common place anymore. It helps me remember things I've relegated to the depths of my memory. Thank you. Now, to the task at hand, I had intended each of us to take a book but seeing as how Edward is currently unavailable, I suppose that will leave us to finish this task," Carlisle mused.

A dainty throat clearing near the door caught their attention. Their eyes quickly fell on Esme, who was tapping her foot with her hands on her hips and looking quite put out

"What am I? I may not be some history buff or archaeologist, but I can read and I can sure as hell look for corresponding images and their meanings," she huffed indignantly.

"By all means, my dear. Pull up a chair and help us unravel this most amazing mystery. I actually thought you had gone to help soothe Jasper. I would never have left you out intentionally," Carlisle smiled. He was a smooth player if ever Bella had met one. And she had, his name was Edward.

"Dr. Cullen, I think the best approach would be to divide the text into three parts, with each of us taking one and working on it. If you look here," Bella pointed to the tablet, "you will notice that there are three very delineated sections. I think it would be safe to do a light rubbing of each to make it easier to spread out. I don't know about you but I also need a lot more room to work than we have right now," she said.

"Agreed. I will leave the rubbing to you and Esme and I will see to making more room."

Bella set about gathering several pieces of paper, her white gloves, and the stubby piece of charcoal from her bag. After putting on her gloves, she rubbed out the markings softly and methodically on three separate sheets of paper and handed Carlisle and Esme their assignments. Without any further discussion, they all began digging through the texts in front of them, hell bent on bringing to light the message hidden so long ago.

**-BS-**

Deciphering ancient text is never easy but the task at hand was proving more than difficult. The writer seemed to blend several types of cuneiform into one unique form. Bella surmised that the author might have actually developed this language on their own and future civilizations took away from or added to it on their own. If she could carbon date the tablet she wondered if it would predate all written language found to date.

Shaking her head, she continued pouring through Carlisle's field journal and slowly began seeing the text in front of her take shape. It was mentally exhausting but she was getting a defined picture of the first section on the tablet, which served to push her to uncover the rest.

"How are you two coming with your sections?" Bella asked as she stretched her back and arms. They felt tight from all of the hunching and writing she had done over the course of the last few hours.

"I'm about a quarter of the way through what I have. Do you think we've uncovered enough that we can put it all together and get it done faster? I've written down several repeated forms to make it easier for me," Esme said.

"That sounds like a decent idea to me, Esme. What do you think, Carlisle?"

"Well, I've run into a few that I'm just stumped on so I don't think it will make the process any slower if we actually combine our findings to finish what we have here. I've noticed some Latin and Greek mixed in with the cuneiform. Making sense of all of this is maddening."

Scooting together, they began looking over each other's notes and realized that in most cases they all had uncovered the same things but there were a few instances when one of them deciphered something the others were stuck on. They also noticed that the writing in the different sections didn't look consistent. Bella's only conclusion was that this was something of a diary and was written at different times in the author's life. This mystery seemed to go deeper than she ever imagined. It made her stomach flutter and her brain work that much harder to unravel the knots of time and bring to light the tablet's purpose.

After another hour they had uncovered enough to gain a general idea of what the author was writing. They all read and reread what they had written down, mouths hanging open, not a breath to be heard between them.

"Bella, breathe. Carlisle and I don't need to but if you don't, you'll pass out," Esme prompted.

"Are you both reading what I'm reading? She was a fallen angel? The first vampire was Lilith?" Bella whispered.

"Yes," Esme and Carlisle said in unison.

They continued reading, awed faces firmly in place:

_I am Lilitu, Inanna, Lilith. I am cursed, an angel cast out like Lucifer. My soul is gone. My life is to be spent walking the earth alone. I survive off the blood of God's children, my punishment for my jealousy of their free will and ability to love physically. I have been called succubus, witch, demon, and vampire. I am immortal. I have the ability to change a human but they will never carry my curse. They might live forever but they will always have a soul. Only God can take that away. _

_My sons are greedy. They will ruin the world with their need for power. I have asked that they kill me but they refuse, they love me. I know this is untrue. They need my wisdom. I no longer take human life and I will never change another. Aro calls me coward. He knows not the meaning of that word. I will live off animals or starve completely. One serves to keep me alive, though I am not. The other serves to remind me of my punishment. I have no soul yet I pray for the lives I have taken. I feel remorse now. It is a new development. I can no longer take the life of a child of God to sate my thirst. I fear my sons are damned for eternity, though their souls are firmly intact._

_This stone, if found will serve as a warning and beacon for my children. I have been released from Volterra and its self-righteous rulers. The world will see me no more though I will still live. Those that come after me have the same free will as any human. I pray they use it wisely and learn to live amongst humans as equals rather than predators. The gates of Heaven will be open for them if ever they give up their immortal ties. I am weary. The world has changed so much. People are faithless and wander the land blinded by possessions. Take heed, preserve life, and know that your soul is safe as long as you do both._

_

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**I'm not a review whore but I do love hearing what you all think of my story, so by all means hit that lil button and let'er rip;)**

**Recs for this week aren't as numerous as previous weeks but that's only because I haven't been reading much on the new front. I did start a new book...Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. It's about a girl who is obsessed with the woods behind her house that are inhabited by wolves that once tried to make her a meal. She was saved by a wolf with yellow eyes and now he watches her from the trees. The story is wonderfully original and the characters are developing well. It's a good read if you're wanting to pick up an actual book.**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5925609/1/ Moving Pictures by BreakfastatBella's...Bella moved back to Forks to care for Charlie who is dying. His care and her job as a nurse consume her life, leaving her little time to actually live. She meets a doctor at the hospital, Marcus, who is seperated from his wife. They carry on a casual, or so she thinks, relationship until she can no longer stand his manipulations and lies. Right about this time she meets Edward, a documentary film maker and they hit it off. As of the last chapter Marcus was being a scary stalker with an eye on doing bad things to our famous duo. It's a great story and I look forward to each update, which is on Sundays...they also offer a rather tasty menu!**

**http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/5540509/1/ This is Not My Life by isakassees...The beginning of this fic is rough reading, in that it deals with a kidnapping and how the victims deal. After things are resolved it's still a little tough to read but also so very sweet. Relationships are born of the trauma and strengthened by every one around them. The drama is all in the developement of the relationships but there is also a lot of funny and sweet times to temper it. It's a lovely read and I can't wait to see where everything is going!**


	8. Chapter 8 Mystery Revealed

***SIGH* If Twilight were mine I'd still be writing ff to sate my desire for some good old fashioned lemons. That fade to black was great for the teen set but a woman needs what a woman needs. Not mine (except the plot). All rights belong to the lovely Mrs. Meyers.**

**As per the norm, I must thank my delicious duo of betas...L & Kel...Ladies, you rock. If my head weren't about to explode I would totes write a lymeric about your amazing skills & perty faces;)**

**To all my lovely peeps, whose encouraging words and lovely porn (both Rob and the real shiz) keep me going, I say THANK YOU SO F'N MUCH! **

**Thanks for the patience it has taken in waiting for this chapter. RL, the bitch that she is, has decided to dump a ton of crap on my lap and that of at least one of my betas. It's not fair but I suppose no one ever said it was...BLARG!**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my readers! I love reading your reviews and it just makes my lil heart go pitty-pat when I see a new comer sharing their thoughts!**

**Without further adieu, I give you...**

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Chapter 8

Mystery Revealed

The Cullen house was not normally so quiet. Vampires, while sneaky and fast, were also creatures of extreme noise. Most usually the noise was because at least one couple in the house was busy...getting busy. The moment Emmett and Rosalie walked in the door, they knew something was up.

"Hello?" Rosalie called. "Em, didn't Edward say Bella was here with Carlisle and Esme?"

"Uh, yeah. Hello?" Emmett echoed Rose's first call as he made his way through the door with the little bit of something they had picked up on the way, whose name was Demetri, as far as they could gather. They found it was much easer to deal with him after ripping his arms off. Rosalie would have been happy to decapitate him while they were at it because he was a mouthy little shit, but she was sure he had information that they would need in the very near future.

Rose continued walking further into the house, peeking her head around the corner into the living room. When no one was there she continued on to the study with Emmett hot on her heels.

"Oh, thank God! I thought something hap…" Rose halted her declaration as she viewed the three in front of her.

"What's up, baby? Did you find everyone?" Emmett asked. He hadn't realized Rose had stopped, and ran right into her back causing Demetri to collide with his own backside. They were a vampy train wreck of jumbled limbs on the floor of the den.

"What the fuck, Em? Shit…grab hold of that bitch before he's able to scramble to his feet!" Rose yelled. The high pitched vibrations of her voice brought Bella, Esme, and Carlisle out of the trance they were in and they all scrambled to help Rose and Emmett off the floor. Emmett indicated his need to remain on the floor, as he couldn't seem to get a good grip on the small bit of chain he had used to secure Demetri earlier. His weight was the only thing that continued to keep their prisoner from jumping up and running away.

"I got him! Carlisle, we need more chains or something to secure his legs. I left mine in the Jeep," Emmett bellowed.

"I'll get some. Rose, come with me and fill me in on why we have an armless vampire in our home that seems hell bent on getting away."

Emmett struggled to control the writhing hot mess below him while Bella and Esme waffled between total shock and violent giggles as it looked like Em was trying to wrestle a salamander. Just as he gained control of the situation, Carlisle returned with a set of large chains and began securing the captive vampire's legs.

"So, Rose tells me you two ran into this one and two more just outside of town? What happened to the other two? Has he talked at all? Do we know who he's with?" Carlisle questioned.

"Unless he's spouting curses he seems to have been rendered mute without his arms, isn't that right, buddy?" Emmett mussed Demetri's hair like he would a petulant child.

Demetri growled and tried to scoot across the floor to the corner of the room. His body was straining to free himself from the chains to no avail.

"Son, we truly mean you no harm but we have to know who you are with. We protect our own." Carlisle's soothing tone had no effect on this young man.

"They are coming and you will all pay for your impudence. Aro shows no mercy and you have what is his by right of birth." Demetri spat.

"Well, I guess your ability to talk _wasn't_ connected to your pasty extremities. So, what you're saying is this dude Aro is gonna get us 'cause we have something he wants? Isn't that the shits!" Emmett replied.

Demetri sat stock still as he eyed the hunk of etched stone on the other side of the room. The tablet.

"That is what he wants. That belongs to the Volturi."

-BS-

"That is a matter of historical record for your kind. The Volturi have no more right to it than any of the vampires that live in this house. Besides, I found that and possession is nine tenths of the law," Bella said as she stood over the man. "I will not give it up without a fight and it might interest you to know that the Volturi have lied to your people for centuries. You still have a soul and with it, free will. Killing humans is as unnecessary for you as it is for me."

Just as Bella finished her sentence she felt as though all the air in the room was sucked away with the collective gasp of the people surrounding her. Both Emmett and Rose looked astounded by the revelation and though she didn't even know they had arrived, the effect was the same on Edward, Alice, and Jasper.

"You lie, human! We could not survive without the blood of the weaker species. Vampires were built to hunt humans just as lions stalk the wildebeest. It is nature's course." Demetri wheezed.

"Without the wildebeest, a lion would still have gazelle or even smaller creatures to prey on. You have the same option. Surviving on animals not only nourishes you but also saves your soul. The tablet makes that perfectly clear."

"They will flay you alive! All of you! My sacrifice is but a small token for the larger good. You mark my words." His face took on the look of a man haunted before quickly turning back to that of an unfeeling monster.

"That is quite enough. Emmett, as much as this pains me, we must dispose of this man. He is clearly a danger to us as well as the good people of Forks and it doesn't look like he'll be sharing any more information with us. Please, just see to it quickly and with as little pain as possible," Carlisle requested.

"Righto, pops! Alright there, Mr. Martyr, let's see what kind of pretty flames I can make with your legs!" Emmett bellowed, causing the rest of the family to cringe and Bella to gag.

"He's just not right in the head, is he?" she asked.

"My man just can't handle the heavy, Bella. He's always looking for the silver lining and this time it just happens to be the bright blue flame created by burning vamp fuel. I'm not saying it's right, but his heart is in the right place," Rosalie added.

"Fuck, you're both twisted. I'm torn between wanting to be your best friend and rocking in a corner."

"Whatever floats your boat, my dear," Rosalie responded, letting a slight smile light her face as she followed her husband and the screaming vampire he was carrying.

-BS-

Bella sat motionless in the den as she watched Rose and Emmett leave. Demetri had been the man sent to her apartment in France to wait for her. After looking into his eyes, she knew she wouldn't be alive if he had found her those few days ago. This realization made her all the more thankful for Edward's involvement.

"Bella, are you feeling okay?" Edward asked as he gently rubbed her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah. I just realized that he was the guy they sent to my apartment. I'm just glad I met him when he was armless and surrounded by a family of vampires instead of on my own."

She heard Edward laugh before she heard him speak. "Bella, you just never say what I think you're going to say. Amazing."

The coolness of his body embracing hers was oddly comforting. She supposed not all things comfortable need be warm.

"I like to keep you on your toes, Cullen. The mystery that is me will never be revealed completely," she snickered. The lightness of their conversation and the sensations caused by his proximity were enough to unravel the myriad of knots currently residing in her shoulders and back. When he was near she felt at home, which was a truly foreign feeling. Foreign, but good.

"I would give anything to have eternity to take you up on that challenge," he whispered. She wasn't sure if she was meant to hear it but she did and her responding smile shocked even her.

"As strangely out of character as this may seem, so would I, Mr. Beautiful."

With that Edward began to laugh, loudly. "Again with the surprises, Swan! Let's say we make it through this fucking fiasco with all limbs intact and then you let me take you up on that offer?"

"Edward, if we make it out alive then I expect you to take that offer and fucking run with it to Timbuktu. Stress or no, I think we have discovered the start of something really good here." Bella gazed up at the handsome creature before her and sighed. "Now, enough girly bullshit. It seems my former employers are hot on our trail so we need to formulate a plan of action, like yesterday!"

As Bella turned to the remaining people in the room, she noticed a far away look in Alice's eyes. She wondered briefly what would cause such a firecracker to seem so solemn. Before she had any more time to ponder this sudden change, Alice's eyes returned to their normal brightness but her face fell.

"They know where you are and that we have the tablet. They're on their way now and will arrive before Maria's troops. If we don't do something they will destroy Forks and everyone in it," she sobbed.

Jasper stood holding her up, his eyes full of understanding. "It seems facing them on home ground is now a risk we cannot take. I think the best option is to hide the tablet and Bella but I've no idea where or how to stop the Volturi's progress to Forks. Give me a few moments to ruminate on this. All hope is not lost we just need to change our course a bit. Carlisle, will you please inform the pack of the news but tell them to stay alert and that it is likely we will still need them."

Jasper left the room, head down, fingers locked in front of him. Bella knew two sides of this enigmatic vampire but could see that the facets of Jasper's personality were many. She also knew that even though he had nearly attacked her, he was quite possibly their only hope in this race against time.

-BS-

The entire Cullen clan, minus Jasper, spent hours discussing the repercussions of the Volturi's lies. Everything they had ever come to believe about their true nature was false and that gave them hope.

Edward spent many quiet moments staring at the beautiful and strong human in their midst. She was truly remarkable and if they did indeed make it out alive, he would hold her to her invitation…literally. That thought made him laugh as his family looked at him curiously.

"What? Am I not allowed to laugh? Now, where were we?"

Just as Carlisle began offering more options, though not very good ones, Jasper strode into the den with a smile the size of the Mississippi.

"I think I have plan. Scratch that. I know I have a plan and a damned good one at that. I've already contacted Maria to get her take on the situation and she agrees with what I've come up with, so listen up. Bella and the tablet need to "disappear"," he said, crooking his fingers into quotes. "Both Maria and I think the best place to send her is the Grand Canyon. With its spider web of valleys and caves it's the perfect place to hide the tablet and I know she's familiar with the area as she's been a part of several digs there. Maria and her crew would meet her there after she hid the tablet and they would be accompanied by a large group of Navajo bear shifters who will be beneficial in getting in and out of the canyon as well as helping in the fight. I think we can count on at least a few of the pack to follow us down there as well but we must make sure they leave the majority behind in case the Volturi don't take the bait."

"Jasper, this sounds really risky. How do we know we can trust Maria to keep Bella safe? And I hope you intend on keeping a very close eye on our brother. You know he can't turn down a good fight with a bear, shifter or not." Edward snorted.

"Yeah, I didn't really think about that. Emmett, I trust you to put the mission before your stomach, though these shifters are plenty capable of holding their own. Their help will be invaluable and not just because their claws can tear through our flesh like butter. They owe Maria a debt and this is the perfect time for her to collect. As for Maria, I know she can be trusted because she despises the Volturi's reign and I just added fuel to her fire with the whole "we still have souls" bomb. Every drop of human blood she has ingested has been to rid the world of an evil presence or add newborns to her clutch. I may not agree with her lifestyle, but there is a reason that a bunch of Native Americans owe her their lives and it's not because she's a threat to them."

"Fine, so Maria will keep her safe with the help of some giant fucking bears. But what about the Volturi's plans to come here? How do we stop them?" Edward asked.

"Well, that will entail leaving Carlisle, Esme and I behind. Carlisle has incredible control over his thoughts, the best of all of us, and I know that if Aro touches him he'll be able to let through only what we need them to believe and no more. Leaving Esme and I will simply make it look like we weren't expecting them. I will likely be able to influence some of the emotion during that time to keep them from going ballistic and ridding the world of the entirety of the Forks population."

"Jazz, I can't leave you! Let me stay too, please?" Alice begged.

"Darlin' there is nothing I want more than for you to be with me but everyone else will need your gift and if you're here it will be wasted. We'll be fine, I promise."

"So let me get this straight. I'm essentially being turned into a big, fat, tasty worm on the end of a fishing line held by a family of vampires?" Bella mused.

"Uh, yep…that's pretty much it. If there were any other way I wouldn't put you in this position but we really don't have many options. I promise you will be in the best of hands down South and Edward will be right behind you. You must hide the tablet on your own though. If the Volturi get hold of any of us I would feel much better about them not knowing the exact whereabouts of that stone and I have a feeling you might be as blank to them as you are to Edward. Edward, Alice, Rose, Emmett and the Quilutes will give you a day to get to the canyon and hide the tablet. I'm banking on your professional abilities to get you in and out without the need of a written map. We have to cover all our bases and having a treasure map that could fall in the wrong hands would undo everything we are trying to accomplish."

"I understand and I was just kidding with the analogy…sort of. When do I need to leave? Oh, and how will we know if Aro's crew took the bait? It's not like you can call if you end up being their prisoners."

"I've taken the liberty of booking you an early morning flight out of Seattle in the morning. You'll have to leave in a few hours to make it on time. I'm sorry there isn't much notice. As for how you will know what is going on here, well that, my dear is where my lovely wife will come into play. As soon as they've made a decision she will be able to tell you. Alice, I will need you to be tuned into the Volturi's future specifically. Don't worry about us, if we fear we're in danger we will find a way out." Jasper walked to his wife's side and pulled her into a fierce hug. "We've come too far to lose each other now."

Edward watched Alice melt into Jasper's arms. He felt like an intruder even though they were clearly aware they were amongst others. Where once he might have made some flippant remark about "getting a room" or "bleaching his eyes" he decided to simply take in the love and adoration the two possessed. It was something he realized he wanted for his future, if indeed he still had a future.

-BS-

Bella sighed and sank into the cushiony warmth of the sofa. She was to be bait. Perfect. Wonderful. Fucking great.

As she sat scrubbing her face with her palms she felt the cushions sink and looked over to see the same look she was sure she had on her face mirrored on Edward's.

"Are you sure you're ok with all of this, Bella?"

"Nope, but I'm pretty damn sure we don't have any other options. It sounds like the Volturi will stop at nothing to regain the tablet and to be honest, your kind deserves much better than the lies they've been told all this time. I'm a small sacrifice. Besides, I'll have you beside me for protection and from the sound of it some behemoth horses and wolves. It's like an American version of Clash of the Titans, without the water, of course." As serious as their conversation was, she couldn't help the vision she had in her head of herself tied up like a virgin awaiting the rescue of her very own Perseus, aka Edward. Just the thought of her as anything virginal after what she had done to Edward earlier made her nervous laughter turn into something altogether infectious and pretty soon Edward was rolling on the couch with her. It felt good to be a little light hearted through all this strife.

After a bit they were both able to calm down and Bella settled into Edward's side. He really did comfort her like she had never imagined.

Just as her eyes were drifting closed she heard a throat clearing and looked up into Jasper's crystal blue eyes.

"Bella, I was wondering if I could talk to you alone for a moment? It won't take long, I promise." He looked defeated and sadness marred his down home good looks.

"Of course. I suppose when we're done I should pack up my things again and prepare for another lovely flight. Edward, will you excuse me for a bit?" She stood and bent to place a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning to follow Jasper.

"I'll be waiting in your room, Bella. Alice, Rose, Emmett and I will be taking you to the airport and then driving on from there," he replied as she walked through the door behind Jasper. With his final words she looked at him and nodded her head not even trying to hide her smile.

She followed Jasper to the back of the house and out onto the deck. The view was magnificent and the air was alive with the smells of the forest.

"It's really beautiful here, even without the sun. I don't remember ever seeing so many shades of green before," she said.

"It is beautiful. There are many times I long for the brown of my home, though. Being in Arizona will almost feel like being back in Texas." He sighed. "Bella, the reason I asked to speak with you privately was to express my sincere regret for nearly killing you before."

Bella tried desperately to stifle her giggle but was wholly unsuccessful. Jasper looked mortified as she continued to laugh so she straightened herself out as well as she could and began explaining her response.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I wasn't laughing at your apology. It was wonderful. It's just that hearing you say you're sorry for nearly killing me seems so ridiculous and yet the reality is that you almost did. I think I might be losing my mind and my body's natural response is to laugh. I accept your apology and am just so fucking glad you had the presence of mind to send a distress call to Edward. Honestly, while you may have tried to attack me, you also saved me as much as Edward did. Thank you for that," she said and clapped the stunned Southerner on his shoulder before turning to go back inside. "By the way, your plan, while a little deranged and quite dangerous, is absolutely brilliant. I'm glad you're on my side, Jasper."

-BS-

Edward paced the small confines of the spare bedroom waiting for Bella to join him. The plans laid out by Jasper had him tied in knots. He wasn't sure if it was a suicide mission or sheer damn brilliance on Jaspers part or possibly a little of both. Either way it made him edgy and fearful that he was about to lose the only person he had ever wanted in his long and quiet existence.

Raking his hands through his hair and over his face for the millionth time his mind went to early morning hours when he and Bella were wrapped up in each other. The completeness he felt in her arms was more than he could have ever wished for. How the hell would he continue on with out her if something were to happen? Before he could think himself into a corner the door opened and Bella walked in.

"Hey Cullen, what's with the long face? It looks like you're preparing to send your lover into battle. Oh wait, you are!" Bella smiled. He could tell she was trying to make light of the subject to ease her own fears but he couldn't bring himself to smile at her words.

"I really wish I could go with you, Bella. Please promise to be careful until I get there? I've just found you. I can't let you go now," he said sullenly.

"Hey now, no heavy shit, Edward. I promise to be careful but you have to promise not to turn into some kind of sniveling emo puddle on me. I need my smart, funny, positive vampire back. And I feel the same way. I plan on fighting with all I've got so that when this is done we can see if what we have can withstand who we are as individuals. Though I have to say that I think you were fucking made for me." She smiled and this time Edward returned the sentiment. "How about we see if we can torture the rest of your family the way they tortured you for so many years and make some happy noises in here before we have to go?"

"GAME. ON. SWAN."

For the next few hours Bella relished the feel of Edward's cool touches and tingle inducing tongue all over her body. She held nothing back and moaned and screamed to her hearts content while enduring the rounds of "ewwwww's" and "keep it down" from the others in the house. She also delighted in pleasuring Edward countless times before finally demanding he fuck her until she passed out. That comment got her a nice earth shattering orgasm and the funniest comments from the peanut gallery she could have ever imagined. If she had been the type to be embarrassed, she would have been the color of an over ripe tomato.

-BS-

With the sun still firmly on the other side of the earth, the rag tag group of four vampires and one human loaded into a shiny silver Volvo after receiving round after round of hugs and kisses from those being left behind.

Carlisle had arranged for Edward and crew to meet up with the members of the pack that had volunteered to help in Seattle. From there they would start the trek to Arizona and pray that the plans they had set in motion would unfold in the manner they wanted. Edward also hoped the Quilutes had a fast car as they would need it to keep up with him.

Edward decided that it would be best if Emmett drove so that he could concentrate on helping Bella stay calm. He, Bella, and Alice took up residence in the back seat with Bella curled into his side. Alice simply stared out the side window, her thoughts most assuredly on her husband and our adoptive parents.

"Alice, they'll be fine," he reassured.

"I know, but this is the first time I've been apart from Jazz for any real length of time. I'm just not sure what to do with myself without him."

"I know, why don't you tell me where you're going to take me shopping when this is over, Alice," Bella piped in.

From where Edward sat, the light that came on behind Alice's eyes was brilliant. His lovely Bella knew exactly how to occupy his sister's time to keep the melancholy from taking her under.

He squeezed Bella's arm in thanks and bent to whisper words he never imagined saying, especially in a time like this.

"I think I was made for you, my Bella. I think you should also know that I do believe I'm falling in love with you."

Edward felt her gasp as much as he heard it.

"I'm sorry, that was probably too much too fast. I just wanted to be honest. If I never get the chance to tell you again, at least I know I've said it once."

"Oh Edward, no "sorry's". You make me insanely happy, and that's more than just my hooha talking. I never knew being close to someone could feel this way. Thank you for that and when this shit is over I plan on taking my time figuring out what we have and how I can keep you close to me always. Now, I need you to shut the hell up so I can focus on the torture Alice is going to put me through after this debacle. She just mentioned something about shoes and corsets." Bella wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Edward laughed until the image of Bella in nothing but fuck me heels and a kick ass corset forced him to rearrange his now hard dick before it broke the zipper of his jeans.

He decided it was going to be a very long ride to Seattle.

-BS-

Bella sat listening to Alice yammer on and on about designers, shoes, and some Agent Provoca-something that she could only surmise was either a high end Victoria Secret or some super sexy spy. She also endured countless wiggles from Edward as he listened to Alice talk about various types of lingerie and what she thought would look best on her. Bella thought Alice was trying to purposefully make him uncomfortable, perhaps payback for their romper room fun earlier. In any event, he seemed both antsy and uncomfortable so she figured that Alice had accomplished her mission and her smile would indicate she was aware of this.

As they pulled up to the airport, Bella felt a heaviness in her chest that she had never before encountered. While flying wasn't her favorite thing to do, it had never bothered her very much. To be honest, she was fairly sure it wasn't the flight that made her feel so damn awful; it was who she was leaving behind.

Edward climbed out of the car first and then helped her out by gently grabbing her hand. She held her back pack full of meager possessions and the tablet in one hand, and wrapped the fingers of the other hand tightly around Edward's cool touch.

"I'll be there by tomorrow morning. One of the tribe will pick you up at the airport, Gage, and he'll take you to the canyon to meet up with Maria. She'll meet you at the Toroweap Outlook. It's remote and she says there should be plenty of places relatively hidden to place the tablet that won't take you two days to hike to. We'll meet everyone at the opposite end of the canyon just in case any of the Volturi are near. Take care of yourself, Bella. I don't think I could live without your brand of snark in my life."

"Is it just my wit and bad attitude that you can't live without Cullen?"

"No, but it's a good start."

"You be careful, too. I'll be waiting for you in the canyon."

Bella walked through the automatic doors before turning around. He was staring at her with hungry, sad eyes. She waved and winked at him, letting the small smile on her face fade as she thought about the short time they had known one another. Perhaps the heaviness was more than just her reluctance to let her knight go. Perhaps it was another sign that she felt for him what he had professed feeling for her. Perhaps it really was love.

Sighing deeply, she made her way to her gate, eyes darting all around and constantly on guard for creepy guys with terminator glasses. Settling into her seat to await boarding and hugging her pack close, she prayed for the first time in ages.

"_God, I have no idea how or if I'm going to make it out alive but I promise if I do to make the most of the life I have left. I promise to give love a chance and to have more faith. I would promise to curb my cursing but I have a feeling I'd break that one in record time so how about I just try not to take your name in vain anymore? I think I can do that. I also promise to find your fallen angel and let her know that her words were not without merit. Maybe I can try to convince her that her life, though in exile, is definitely not without purpose. She may have been cast out soulless but I believe she's more than regained it…"_

Before she could continue the prayer her seat was called. She left the shades of green, the unending rain, and a family of vegetarian vampires behind to save a relic and herself from the clutches of an evil she never imagined existed. For the first time she felt brave and a bit like her childhood hero, Indiana Jones.

If only she had a Fedora and whip instead of a dusty back pack. She marched to the plane humming her hero's theme song and feeling just a little bigger than she had when she arrived.

Maybe it really would be okay.

* * *

**So, you know what I said about RL? Yeah, well it's kinda killed my drive to go fic diving so I don't have much in the way of new stuff I've been reading. Here are a few that I found recently and really enjoy...OH & for the love of pete, please let me know what you think of this story...review? I love you all:)**

**http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/5914465/1/ Bloody Choices by Nitareality...This is a period fic set during the Black Plague. It's beautifully done with the entire Cullen clan being honest to goodness vampires who are in need of clean blood. Edward makes a deal with Charles to take Isabella to their country estate and keep her safe. Charles must convince those that are still uninfected that the Cullen's need help, thus supplying them with their "food" and keeping Isabella out of harms way, he hopes. It's not very far in but is riviting to read and this last chapter was PHENOMENAL!**

******http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/6048208/1/ Coming Through the Rye by Mac214...the author of Relative Wind (an amusing and sweet tale of a May/December romance) throws Edward in a kilt and gives him a kick ass Scottish accent. Trust me that if I stopped there it should be enough to make you wanna read! Edward met Bella several years ago when he was brought over from Scotland to work in the US for the same company as her. Since that day she's been in love with him but from everything she can tell he just sees her as one of the guys. Edward loses his job and is in jeopardy of being deported, which Bella flat out refuses to let happen, so she offers to "take one for the team" and marry him to keep him here. This story is also just beginning and though Bella is a bit on the "I live to beat myself down" side, she has some spark. OH, did I mention that Edward has a girlfriend? Yeah, that could throw a wrench in the deal...but she refuses to marry him herself so what's a best friend to do? Humorous and a great read!**  



	9. Chapter 9 How Grand is This Canyon

**Hello, my dears, it's been a while. As I near the action of this story I get more and more nervous. I've never written action before and that, coupled with my hubs starting a new job where he travels TONS sorta threw me into a bit of a writers block. Thankfully I have several wonderful people on my side {cough}Aspenleaf{cough} cracking the whip and taking names to keep me motivated and a little scared;)**

**Thanks for my beta's L and 2littleladies for all the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears of frustration you go through to make my shiz look presentable! I flove you with all my heart!**

**Without further adieu, Chapter 9…**

* * *

Chapter 9

How Grand is this Canyon?

The flight was uneventful…unless you count the snoring behemoth behind her, the wailing child in front of her, and the Fran Drescher clone beside her. Bella could have handled the snoring and crying but Frannie was another issue all together. The woman wouldn't stop interrupting Bella's iPod listening to regale her with disturbing stories of her car salesman boyfriend and their four illegitimate children.

Un-fucking-eventful but annoying all the same.

For the second time in less than a week, Bella felt the urge to kiss the dirt beneath her Sundowners when she finally made it outside the terminal. If she made it out of this alive, she was avoiding airports and commercial flights for a _very_ long time.

Just as her urge to drop to her knees was almost impossible to ignore, she found herself enveloped in a very Emmett-like hug except with tanned arms.

"What the FUCK!"

The arms squeezed a bit tighter before releasing her.

"Hi. I'm Gage, Maria asked me to pick you up. As for the invasion of personal space…" He shrugged. "You looked like you could use a hug." The laughter that followed his statement was loud and free. Like a kid whose just been told he gets to go to Disney World for the first time ever, and it was contagious.

Bella wasn't sure if it was the stress of the last week or just the fact that Gage's fun loving spirit was that potent, but she laughed so hard she cried.

"S'okay. I think it's safe to say that a hug is the least of my worries," she said while wiping the tears from her eyes. Her stomach muscles ached in the best way. As a matter of fact, the only ache that was better was the one induced by a certain caramel-eyed vampire. This thought brought on a flood of images from their short time at the Cullen homestead. Perfectly sculpted naked man bits swam through her mind and the ache in her stomach traveled to her hooha.

With a deep sigh she pushed all thoughts of Edward away, save one.

"Do the Cullen's have your number?" she asked Gage.

"Uh-yep. The one, what's his name? Edmond or something, called earlier to give me your flight info. He said he'd call when they were halfway here."

"It's Edward," she replied softly.

"Yeah, that's the one. Are you ready to get on the road? We have a bit of a drive and I need to stop and pick up a few more guys on our way."

"Lead the way! Um, I have what I hope isn't a rude question, but what do you shift into?" Bella inquired with a whisper.

"Brown bears. There aren't any real ones in the area anymore but when my ancestors were given this gift the land was rich with them."

"I didn't get a chance to ask back in Washington but why do you change? I mean, is it just because you can or is there some deep spiritual meaning?"

"Well, I think the dudes up north change as a protective measure. Like the only time the change happens is when their land is threatened by a mortal enemy or some shit. Our change happens in every generation regardless of threat but then we do live in a pretty hostile environment." Gage finished.

"So how the hell did you come to owe a horde of vampires a debt? I mean, that's why you're helping right? By the way, you can tell me to shut the hell up at any time. My natural reaction to something I don't understand is to question it to death."

"No worries. Maria…now that's a funny story! She and her rag tag band of newbies were wandering up from Mexico and ran into some of my brothers and I on a nightly sweep of the area. Dudes were high on some primo peyote, religious purposes, of course, and were doing a cleansing ceremony. Weeeeell, we had a few new guys with us who might have wandered a little while they were shifted. They got lost. We searched for those three fools for two fucking days in the desert. It was July and we were all sure they'd died of exposure until this Hispanic beauty came waltzing onto the Rez with my brothers in tow, fucking smiles plastered to their faces. If I hadn't known better I would've guessed they were still high. Seems that when they wandered off, they just kept walking til they passed out. They had gone over the border and that's where Maria found them, only she and her crew weren't the only vamps in the area. A rival newborn horde had surrounded the boys and were about to pounce on their unconscious asses when Maria jumped in to save the day, creating a life debt the size of Texas."

"That's a story to pass around the campfire! If I weren't so happy to have Maria and her crew on our side I might actually share my condolences." Bella snickered as she commented. The image of two large Native American's waking up surrounded by vampires should have been disturbing but humor won out.

**-BS-**

_When the fuck, a raft? She is winding down a river, dodging whitecaps and rocks the size of small countries in a rubber raft filled with air. This could end very badly, she thinks. Suddenly, she turns toward a disembodied voice calling her name as the raft bears down on a particularly rough patch of water. There's no one on the cliffs but the voice is getting louder…_

"Bella! BELLA!"

_Her questionable ride gains momentum as the voice grows louder and more persistent, expletives flying past her ears with the same force as the rocking of the raft. _

"Son of a bitch! I told you not to…"

_She can feel herself turning green but knows if she puts her head over the side she will both fall into a raging river of death and be soaked in her own vomit. Neither is appealing, though death might be a welcomed relief from the damn voice she can't find. Looking up and around she notices the sky growing dark with forceful looking clouds and claps of thunder ring through the canyon she's careening down. She's going to die…she knows this and just as she's considering embracing it golden eyes surround her. Their warmth brings her comfort as the face they belong to comes into focus and she…_

"Dude, she looks green. Stop fucking rocking her, asshole! I don't want chunks on the upholstery!"

"Bella, we're at the res. Hey, wake up! This will be the last stop til the canyon and we've gotta get going, it's almost 10 in the morning!"

The fog of the dream lifted and Bella realized that the voice that was annoying her belonged to Gage. The same Gage that gave her a hug before formally meeting her. The same Gage that is currently shaking her so hard that she feels the need to puke and can hear her bones rattling.

"Seriously Gage, if you don't stop shaking me I'm going to make sure I aim for your lap when I puke," she said coolly.

"Ahhhh, there's our little adventurer! Pee break and then back to the truck in 5. We're about an hour and a half from the north rim and we need to get a move on."

Gage ushered Bella out of the truck and into a tiny Adobe house, pointing toward the bathroom.

"I'm gathering plenty of water and some protein bars so take care of business and then we're out!" he shouted.

Bella made quick work of relieving herself and rushed back out to the truck, which had been joined by a mini van. Just as she reached for the door of the truck, she noticed several large men spill from the van and just when she thinks they're done, more come out. It's comical, reminding her of a clown car.

One by one they line up in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Ahiga. Ahi for short. Good to meet you, Bella Swan."

"The name's Cheveyo but everyone calls me Chevy."

"I'm Honaw. It's short so I don't have a nickname. Well, except Bear…my name, it means bear so some people call me that instead. I'll answer to just about anything except Bob. I hate that name…"

Bella was sure the young man before was going to continue his word vomit until Gage stepped in and laid a large hand on his shoulder.

"Honaw, it's okay, she gets it." He chuckled and ushered the man aside letting a new one take his place.

All in all there were ten men in the tribe that were shifters and she was introduced and shook all of their hands. Just knowing these guys were on her side made her feel like getting out of this situation alive might actually be feasible.

**-BS-**

The truck bumped along the dirt road, jarring every bone in Bella's body. She was trying desperately to put a lid on her thoughts but they weren't cooperating. Sighing deeply, she figured the time might pass quicker and less annoyingly if she were to try to make some kind of conversation with the two men she was sandwiched between.

"So, Honaw, you and the rest of the guys all gave me your tribal names, right?"

"Sure did, though I think I'm the only one that gave you my meaning," he said thoughtfully.

"Gage, what's your tribal name? I mean it can't be something as vanilla as Gage, right?" Bella asked.

"Naw, but it does sound a lot like it. My real name is Gahege. It means chief because I was born to lead our tribe when I came of age."

"So, I'm being escorted to my possible demise by a chief and a bear with a shit load of peyote smoking shifters behind us bound to protect me with the help of two vampire covens and another tribe of shifters. No can ever say my life is boring, that's for damn sure." Bella laughed at her statement until her sides hurt.

"Did that help there, Bella? I couldn't tell if that was a happy laugh or an "I'm gonna die soon so I may as well laugh maniacally" laugh," Gage said.

"A little of both? It doesn't matter. Drive on Jeeves. I have a tablet to hide and the canyon's gonna be hot as Hades by the time I get out there."

**-BS-**

"Here we are and there's Maria." Gage pointed toward a group of people ahead of us.

She was a dark haired, dark eyed beauty and if Bella swung that way she would totally be into Maria. As Gage waved, Maria drifted toward the truck, eyes gleeful with a hard edge and keen glint.

"It's a pleasure to meet the woman bringing the Volturi down," Maria said, extending her hand at the same time.

"Uh, yeah, I don't know about brining anyone down but thanks?"

"Don't you worry, my dear, with my army and the bears on your side there can be no losing. I have heard from Jasper's mate Alice. Aro and a few of his special guards are set to arrive in Forks this evening. As Alice has visions she will contact us, that is, until she arrives here herself. She is quite a handful, that one, but very helpful."

"You have no idea, on both counts. Okay, now that I'm here I'd really rather not waste time. Let's get this tablet hidden now. The sooner it happens the sooner I can be back here where I'll be safer."

Bella watched as Gage walked to his truck and came back to the group holding a piece of graph paper.

"This is a map Ahi made of the north rim. Follow it and hide the tablet somewhere on the way. Be sure to touch as much as you can on the way and as little as possible when you actually hide the tablet. Your scent will act as a roadmap for the Volturi dudes so you want it to be even. Understand?"

Bella nodded her head as she studied the map.

"As soon as you are in a place you recognize and can make it back here without aid, burn the map. Nahiossi "borrowed" a horse to get you in and out of the canyon as quickly as possible. It should take you about three hours to follow this map. If you're not back in three then we'll go in looking for you. Remember to go into different caves and touch as much as you can. Leave a marker only you would recognize when you hide the tablet and then continue on, spreading your scent as you go."

"By borrowed do you mean "stole"?" Bella laughed trying to place one of the many men she'd met earlier.

"His name doesn't mean "has three fingers" for nothing!" Gage winked.

Bella shook her head and followed Maria and Gage to the waiting horse. After a refresher introduction to the "borrower" Nahi, she patted the horse. It was loaded down with everything she would need for a three hour tour of the north rim and then some. The thought of getting lost in the endless maze of valleys and hills scared the crap out of her. It was true she had been to the Grand Canyon on several digs but they had always had guides and enough maps to paper the White House, luxuries she didn't have this time around. Fear or not this was something she had little choice in, Jasper and Maria's plan was sound and if it was followed, would likely keep her alive.

Mounting the horse, she turned to wave to the mixed group of vampires and shifters, aware of what a rare occurrence it was.

"Please tell Edward I'm safe if he calls," she called out to the crowd.

"We will and they should be here tonight. Be safe, Isabella," Maria shouted back, her accent thick as she said Bella's name.

As though it knew its rider was uneasy, the horse whinnied and snorted.

"It's just you and me, dude. If you get me in and outta this place in one piece then I promise to ruin you with enough apples to choke a water buffalo, okay? Fuck Bella, now you're making deals with four legged animals and talking to yourself. If the sun and heat don't get you then the obvious psychological disorder you have surely will."

With that she squeezed the horse's midsection to spur it into a fast trot. They both seemed anxious to put the next three hours behind them.

**-BS-**

Bella was well acquainted with deserts and the color brown was as soothing for her as blue or green but this shit was getting old. She had touched every possible surface she could reach from the back of her horse and dismounted, more times than her ass cared to admit, entering cave after cave. Unfortunately she still hadn't found a suitable place to hide the tablet.

Running her hands along the sheer face of rock to her side she decided that the next fucking cave she came to would have to suffice. She wanted to be rid of the piece of invaluable rock in her pack and finish the remainder of her ride. The solid feeling of dread in her stomach was inching it's way through her body and settling into all of her muscles, making her feel like she weighed a thousand pounds. She could only hope that getting back to the waiting posse would alleviate that feeling and allow her to focus on the fight ahead.

As luck would have it, the next cave she came to had several deep crevices in the wall. One in particular was the perfect depth and height to house the tablet. The trick would be touching things no more or less than she had before. If she lingered too long it would alert the Volturi and they would likely spend more time searching than they would anywhere else. Bella's mind set to work solving this puzzle in record time.

She quickly realized that she would not be able to wrap the tablet in anything with her scent so she opted (and cringed as she did) to leave it unprotected in the crevice. Pulling on her gloves quickly she retrieved the tablet and placed it into the hole. It was too noticeable left as it was and with vampire sight it would be recognized quickly. Standing in one spot she viewed the other walls and noticed that several crevices were almost impossible to see as debris had collected in them, some even holding birds nests. Scanning the ground she located a few small stones and twigs. She collected them and arranged them haphazardly in the opening of the crevice, praying it would be enough to disguise the tablet.

With her mission finished, she continued around the cave touching the walls and floor while also sticking her hand into as many of the crevices as she could. Smiling to herself with smug satisfaction, she was happy to have accomplished her goal of leaving the same mark on this cave as she had on the others and the trail outside.

Mounting her tired and rather disgruntled mare, she pulled the map from her back pocket and realized she was about half way to the start of the trail. She had hoped she was closer so that she could rid herself of the last tie to the area but knew she needed to keep it for a bit longer.

The next hour passed the same way the previous one had. Her slow progression with constant mounting and dismounting, touching all she could, and exploring caves that she was sure hadn't seen the steps of a human in years continued. Glancing at the map and her surroundings again, she felt safe destroying it and finishing the trek on her own. She also felt it was time to walk out the kinks that riding a horse for almost three hours caused.

Her horse seemed happy to be rid of the extra load as Bella grabbed the reins to lead her out of the valley. As they were nearing a bend, the mare halted and became agitated in a way that indicated danger, in one form or another. Reaching into the saddle bag, she groped around for anything of substance and came up empty as the horse continued to dip its head and hoof the ground.

"Shhhh, it'll be ok, girl. Just let me check the other side. Surely those asshats didn't forget to pack a weapon for me…idiots," she mumbled as she carefully rounded the horse to dig through the contents of the other saddle bag. Just as she was a bout to give up she noticed a shovel and pick ax secured to the back of the saddle.

"Yesssss. Okay, girl, just let me take care of this. That's a girl." She soothed and patted the horse's neck.

With careful precision she made her way around the bend in the canyon floor, eyes darting wildly for the cause of the distress. Shovel securely in hand, she turned to soothe the horse once more but caught an image in her periphery. Pretending to be ignorant of the presence in the valley with her, she patted the horse once more and walked a little way with her, head down, in the direction of the intruder.

Just as she rounded the corner, she saw feet and reacted before acknowledging whom they belonged to. Swinging the shovel in a wide and powerful arch, she felt every bone in her body vibrate as it made contact. If she hadn't seen feet she would have sworn she struck stone.

"Damn it, Bella! What the fuck was that for?"

She heard the voice as she pulled the shovel back toward her, her muscles still tingling from the impact. As the knowledge of whom she struck had hit her, she noticed the clear impression of a profile in the once smooth metal. She held the shovel in front of her as her head raised to look on her would be attacker and current lover in surprise.

"You dented the damn shovel. No…you left a near perfect impression of your FACE in the damn shovel. How is that…? You know what, I don't care!" She launched herself at him, letting all of her fear and frustration come through in her hug. "I can't believe you're here, Edward. They said we shouldn't expect you until tonight."

"The car was too damn slow so I had them drop me off in California and I ran the rest of the way. It's our preferred mode for long distance travel but the wolves were following in their own car so we drove." She felt his arms squeeze with the gentlest pressure before he continued. "I just had to make sure you got out okay."

"Thanks, but isn't this putting us in an awkward position? My scent mixed with yours is bound to alert them to our connection."

"The rest of the crew is just around this corner, so we're good." He smoothed her hair before bending down to pick up the shovel.

"Edward, do you watch cartoons?" Bella asked.

"Uh, not really. Why?"

"That," she pointed to the shovel in his hand, "is classic Looney Toons and if I weren't so freaked out by the fact that my vampire lover can dent metal, then I'd be laughing like Bugs when he does that shit to Elmer Fudd. Keep it, I'm going to need a good laugh when this fucked up situation is resolved." She leaned into his side as they walked back to the horse.

**-BS-**

"There you are!" Gage huffed. "I thought we were gonna have to come in and find you two fools! What the hell is that?" He pointed to the shovel Edward was still carrying.

"This is a perfect impression of Edward's profile on the end of a shovel."

"Dude, that's fucking Looney Toons brought to life! AWESOME!" Chevy hooted, causing the rest of the group to laugh uproariously at the visual that spoken thought evoked.

"Laugh it up, asshole. This little human has a helluva swing!" Edward rubbed the side of his face before handing over the horse's reins to Chevy, who was still laughing so hard there were tears streaming down his face. "I hope that horse shits on you, bear."

"Slow your roll, vampie! When you have a chance to step back for a minute and possibly watch an episode or 12 of Bugs then you'll understand the hilarity. I'll just take this ol' girl back to her barn." He turned to head toward the dirt road and swung his massive body onto the back of the horse. "See ya later taters! I'll be the one in the full body fur." He winked and spurred the horse to a gallop.

"Dude likes to make an exit. I'm pretty sure he thinks he lives in a Spaghetti Western." Gage shook his head as he watched his brother in arms disappear down the dusty road.

"All right, let's get everyone together and start making some decisions. Edward mentioned earlier that the Washington crew would be here in about 2 hours so let's have everything in place before they get here. The quicker we can all take our places after that, the better protected we will be."

In a blur of action, Maria set to organizing her group of vampires while Gage went over the terrain and placement of shifters with his tribe. All of this activity left Bella and Edward alone with far too much time to contemplate what lay ahead of them.

"You know the Volturi will likely plan their attack after nightfall, right?" Edward asked.

"No, I didn't realize that but now that you mention it I understand why. Thank God the shifters have primo eyesight, too. I guess this means I'll be the only one flying blind, right?"

"Not completely. I picked up some night vision goggles for you to wear. It isn't the same as seeing like one of us but it will suffice. My guess is that they won't give up until one of our groups is decimated or they find the tablet. It's likely to be a long night and I doubt anything will be resolved before daylight so maybe you should take a nap while you have the chance." Edward moved around Bella until she was snuggled up against his side in the back of Gage's truck.

"I think I will. I'll apologize now if I say inappropriate things. You make my head fuzzy," she said, laying her head on his chest and drifting off in record time.

**-BS-**

Bella woke in the cab of the truck, minus her own personal a/c unit and favorite vampire. Rising up, she peered out the windshield to see the group had grown by several people and a few cars.

"The Cullens and Quilutes must be here," she mused.

As quickly as her sleep heavy limbs would move, she pulled herself out of the truck and made her way to the expanded mass of people waiting near the mouth of the trail.

"Well, lookie there! Sleeping beauty has arisen and looks like she could rip a dude UP!" Emmett bellowed.

"Wow, I see your constant traveling hasn't affected your jovial fuckery, Em. Good to see you too, dickweed," Bella snarked. Her surly attitude caused a round of snickers among the new arrivals.

"Eddie boy, you sure can pick'em!" Emmett walked over to Bella and pulled her into a crushing hug. Rather than feeling annoyed though, it served to make her feel safe and cared for, something she desperately needed at this point.

"Thanks, Em," she whispered.

"No problem, Belly. OKAY! That's enough touchy feely, I'm ready to kick some Volturi ASSSSSSSS! Who's in charge of this lil soiree?"

Gage and Maria started going over the plan with the Cullens and Quilutes as Bella listened intently, knowing she wouldn't really be an active participant. She pondered the new faces so similar to the Navajo's yet invariably different. She supposed at this point introductions would be best done after the fighting was through, assuming she made it out alive. Turning toward Alice, she realized there was something visibly wrong with her and rushed to her side.

"Alice, what is it?"

Alice continued to stare blankly, her face a study in quiet fear before she refocused and answered Bella.

"They're coming. I'd say 30 minutes tops and they have Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper. They all look fine but Jane is aching to torture them."

Edward put his arms around Alice's shoulders and squeezed.

"Jasper will keep the mood as light as he can. As long as they don't suspect his talent then they should be fine. As soon as they get here we will attack the group holding them and free them to fight. Have faith sister, all will be fine." Edward's words were positive and bright but his tone was tired and unsure. It did nothing to reassure Bella.

Over the next few minutes the entire group took their positions along the canyon and at the top of some of the lower cliffs. Bella was flanked by two bears, with Edward directly in front of her. Maria, Gage, and half of the Southern vampires made up the front line with a smattering of vampires and shifters, wolf and bear behind her.

She felt cocooned and safe but didn't figure that feeling would last past…

"They're here."

* * *

**Do you all have any idea how goofy I get when I get a review in my box? Let me give you a little visual…imagine the first time the boy (or girl, in your case Mog) you really liked kissed you. You know that fluttery feeling that started in your gut and moved all over your body making things tickle that you didn't even know you had? Yeah, it's like that;) Thanks for your support and know that, by my loose estimation, this story has about 4 more chapters to go.**

**Recs:**

**http:/www****. fanfiction. net/s/5925609/1/ Moving Pictures by Breakfastatbellas… This is a nice fic about Bella as a loving daughter stuck in the small town where she is taking care of her terminally ill father. She's a nurse involved with Marcus James, an obstetrician she works with. Theirs is not a loving relationship and Bella ends it after Marcus starts to get rough in bed. Enter our ever handsome and rocking Edward…a indy documentary producer and the flames of love are fanned. Drama and a mean Chef Angela follow. Great read and wonderfully written!**

**http:/www**** .fanfiction .net/s/6023650/1/ The Bigger They Are by LadyExcalibur2010… I'm a sucker for an Edward in a uniform and this one's no exception. Edward is a Marine nearing 40 who has never had more than a casual relationship. Bella is a war widow with four rambunctious boys to raise alone. It's sweet and very well written. Giving you a little taste of what it's like to live and love in a base town. **

**http:/www****. fanfiction. net/s/5934882/1/ For the Summer by Camoozle… This story begins in 1983 when Bella is 11 and Edward is 12. His family drives to Arizona for a summer vacation and they end up staying near the marina Bella's dad, Charlie, owns and operates. Her family's entire livelihood rests on the number of "paychecks" that visit each summer. After a rocky start Edward and Bella become friends. Each chapter encompasses an entire summer and you read as their relationship grows from childhood friends to mature love. It's an amazing story with tons of cultural references to the years it follows. GO READ IT!**


	10. Chapter 10 Showdown at Dusk

**Here it is...the final chapter! Well, not the final, final chapter as we still have a lil epi that will post in the next couple of weeks:) **

**Thank you all for your support and wonderful words of praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism. They helped make this experience so much more fun!**

**I want to take a moment to send virtual hugs and boob snuggles to my betas c. anna cullen (cullenluv) and 2littleladies. Anna and Kel, you two rock and have made what I write so much better! Thank you for everything.**

**Alright, without further adieu...**

* * *

Chapter 10

Showdown at Dusk

Edward was alerted to the nearness of the Volturi guard the minute Alice's vision took hold. They were around a bend in the canyon that he and Bella had exited earlier and were coming forward at a steady pace.

"They're here," he said resolutely.

He could sense everyone behind him tense in preparation. Bella's pulse soared on wings of nervousness and anticipation; this only served to heighten her already mouth watering scent. If she kept it up, the Volturi would slaughter her simply because they wouldn't be able to stop themselves.

Stepping back slightly, Edward spoke to her in a smooth calm tone, praying his own trepidation didn't show through.

"Swan, it'll be okay. Wherever you go, I'll be right behind. We are all here to protect you." He reached back to wrap his cool hand around hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks, and Edward if you get staked or burnt to a crisp or whatever the hell it is that kills you, then be prepared to meet me on the other side for the beating of your life, 'kay?"

Bella's half-hearted threat made him laugh. "If I don't make it, then you have my express permission to go postal on my ass."

Turning around fully, he saw Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper walking ahead of the front line of the guard.

"It's good to see you three," Edward said.

"As it is you, son." Carlisle was pulled to a halt fifty yards from Edward.

"Ah, isn't this splendid? A family reunion, of sorts. Carlisle, let us not be rude, please introduce your lovely family to me." The man who spoke was short with long, straight, dark hair pulled into a low ponytail. His features were sharp, almost hawk-like in appearance and his voice carried the melodic cadence of a born and bred Italian.

"Aro, please meet my remaining adopted children: Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice." Carlisle gestured to each and in turn they bowed their heads slightly in acknowledgement.

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, my brothers and I would very much like to avoid a confrontation. If you will kindly hand over the human woman, we will return those of your family in our care, and we'll be on our way," he said flippantly.

_Dude has balls the size of Texas. _Edward heard Emmett's thoughts and nearly choked trying to hold back the laughter.

"I don't believe that is possible. You see, we've all vowed to protect Isabella with our lives. The world deserves the truth that you and your court would hide."

"It seems we are at an impasse. You will not surrender what we need and we will not let her or any of you leave here alive. Guards, begin!" Aro yawned.

-BS—

In milliseconds, Bella felt the air of moving bodies whoosh past her in all directions. The sun had set completely, forcing her to engage her night vision goggles. The scene that awaited her was terrifying and beautiful wrapped in one hell of a warped package.

Bodies flew and the sounds of stone meeting stone surrounded her, filling her head 'til it pounded. She was still surrounded by her guards, realizing quickly that their ranks had grown by three, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle. She thanked whatever forces were at work that they had made it away from the Volturi's front line with all body parts intact. _Except,_ she thought, _Jasper might be missing an ear_.

_Whatever, dude has supersonic hearing with both so he can afford a downgrade._

Slowly, her circle of protection widened and moved to take her out of the fray. They were gaining ground…but suddenly everything changed. The group was being pushed closer together in seconds as wave after wave of attackers lunged forward. Bella was forced into a crouched ball, unable to actually move anywhere. Horror stricken, she witnessed her protectors being picked off, one by one, the victims of an invisible predator. They writhed on the ground around her, unable to respond to her questions as she went to each of them. Edward was her last stop, and it was all he could do to grab her arm and whimper for her to run. So she did.

After just a few short strides, her ankle was attacked by hands…large, cold hands. (this fragment doesn't make much sense. You may want to expand on what the hands were doing to her.) Looking down, she could barely contain the shriek that threatened to rip its way through her throat.

A legless body was attacking her as it tried to climb its way up her body. She used her unhindered leg to kick the disabled vampire, finally getting it to release her other leg and allow her to gather her wits. It continued to crawl toward her with a fierce determination and sneer on its face. Looking around, she grabbed the first thing she could find to defend herself, a really large rock.

Without thought, she hurled the rock at the head of the crawling vampire but it did little to deter it. The rock broke into a million little pieces and didn't even leave a dent. She continued to back away as the damned creature clawed through the dirt in her direction.

Picking up another rock, this one quite a bit larger, she repeated her action and threw it at the body on the ground. Again the rock was simply pulverized into dust; it didn't hinder the vampire's progress at all.

"Leave me alone, you motherfucking, legless shit!"

Frustrated with her inability to stop the approaching vampire, Bella picked up any pebble or loose dirt she could find and hurled it as fast as she could.

"Why... Won't... You... Just... Fucking... DIE!" She screamed in frustration.

Just as she was about to completely lose it and start stomping on the thing; she felt arms around her and a large hairy mass next to her. Turning in the arms that held her, she looked up into Emmett's face as he grinned ruefully at the suddenly terrified, motherfucking, legless shit on the ground.

"Bellsy, we'll take it from here. You just stay close to the shifters and try to find a safe place to camp out 'til this is over, okay?" Emmett had to yell his instructions for her to hear them over the din of battle.

"Okay. Be safe, Emmett." She gave him a quick squeeze and turned to find a way out of the middle of the fighting.

Trying to stay close to the larger bodies of the bears and wolves, Bella made her way through the moving mess and into a very small cave. From her vantage point, she could still see the fighting but had lost track of the Volturi rulers. It was hard to calm herself enough to sit quietly in her stone sanctuary with adrenaline coursing through her veins. But sit she did. She sat so long that she nodded off, which was her first mistake.

The feeling of being pulled roused her from her nap and she opened her eyes to a scene that shot panic through her system faster than a cheetah chasing a gazelle. The short blond vampire girl in the Volturi's main guard had hold of her right leg and was pulling her toward the small grouping of leaders several yards away.

Bella ran through her options quickly and decided the best thing to do was to not fight; that would likely end up with her gaining a broken bone and no more freedom than she currently had.

"You know, I'd walk if you'd just let my fucking leg go."

"I'm sure you could but that would take all the pleasure out of dragging you, now wouldn't it?"

Great, Bella was being dragged to her death by a sadistic pre-teen with the strength of ten men.

_Fucking perfect._

By the time the duo reached Aro, Bella's back was scratched and bleeding. The look on the faces of the vampires with Aro spoke volumes, but she knew she was safe for a little while as he needed her and dead bodies don't give directions.

"What do you have there, my darling Jane?" Aro asked.

"I have the human woman, Master. My talent doesn't seem to affect her." She pouted.

"Very good, Jane. Now, now, dear, we mustn't pout when things don't go our way. There are plenty of other bodies for you to punish right now. Go and have your fun. If I need you I will send Renata."

Bella could feel Aro's beady eyes raking over her. He was lecherous and the evil rolled off of him like heat off of pavement.

"It seems your motley collection of protectors failed in their mission, little one." He grabbed Bella's hand in his own. A look of complete amusement lightened his face before he continued. "It also seems that you are completely immune to all of our talents. Pity I have to dispose of you when the tablet is found, because you would make a delightful addition to my fold. No matter." He sighed. "Since we will not be able to resolve this as easily as I'd hoped we will have to find a nice quiet place away from this ruckus to pry the information from you. Renata, carry our guest please."

-BS-

Edward searched frantically for any scent of Bella. He had finally broken away from the fighting after that crazy blond nut job was done with her mind fuckery, and he immediately began looking for the woman at the center of the drama. He followed her scent to a small cave and then found traces of her blood on the ground for several yards before it abruptly ended.

Standing on the last spot he could smell her, he huffed in a large, unnecessary breath before marching back over to the fighting. Kicking both limbs and the occasional odd survivor hell bent on continuing the fight out of his way, he checked on any from their side that had fallen, noticing that there were by far more casualties for the Volturi than their own.

On one side, he noticed Jasper and Carlisle gathering bits and pieces and throwing them into a fire that hissed and crackled with every new addition.

"Bella's missing. I'm going in deeper to find her," he said resolutely.

"Take as many of the shifters as you can, and remember to check with those stationed along the ridge. Be careful, son." Carlisle reached in to give Edward a one armed hug.

"I will."

After gathering Emmett, shifters and a few of the Southern coven together, Edward laid out a plan of attack. They would split up and each group would take one path into the canyon. If all went well, one of them would find Bella while the other denied the Volturi the ability to retreat.

-BS-

When Bella came to, everything was too dark and smelled of damp earth.

_I'm in a cave. Figures._

As her thoughts brought about an audible grunt, she felt the air around her swirl violently and then cold, hard fingers attach themselves to her upper arms.

"I see our captive has decided to awaken and just in time. I was becoming quite impatient. Now, I have some questions for you, pet." Aro purred grotesquely.

"Oh, really? Well, I doubt I'll be much help, you egomaniacal little bat!"

"Are insults really necessary, Isabella? I simply need to know where the tablet is. It's a fairly straightforward question. I would much prefer not to have to torture you, though I know my dear brother, Caius, would take extreme pleasure in doing just that. So, it would please me if you would simply answer the question. Afterwards I can kill you quickly and painlessly."

Bella's small laugh turned into something dark and menacing before she could even contemplate answering him.

"Aro, what makes you think that giving you the key to continuing your charade is any better than being tortured? I will never tell you where it is. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, dickhead!"

"Very well, torture it is. Caius, do what you must but be sure not to kill her and draw as little blood as possible. We shall wait outside to avoid any…accidents."

As Bella peered around the inky hole she sat in, she could discern movement through the little light coming in the cave opening. This was it. She would die in a cave in the Grand Canyon to protect a world she had never imagined could really exist. She just hoped it wasn't in vain, because that would really piss her off.

"Well now, we're alone at last. I think I'd like to see just how much you can take, my little human."

And with that the beating began. Bella's screams for mercy went unanswered and every now and then Aro would saunter in and ask where the tablet was, expecting her to have had enough and give in. Each time she refused to answer. This happened four times before Bella lost count; the next thing she could remember was hearing bones crunch and feeling a searing pain in her thigh. She promptly passed the fuck out.

-BS-

Edward's and Emmett's teams both heard Bella's screams at the same time, and they raced to the source. The minute they reached the area outside the cave, three of them fell to their knees as the crazy blond attacked them with her mind. Edward was able to scoot around the perimeter and avoid her notice long enough to knock her down. Meanwhile, Emmett took on the other woman that was always at Aro's side.

_Dude, these chicks fight dirty! _Emmett's mind chuckled as he fought to keep Renata's hands away from his "family jewels_"_. Her persistence was admirable but she made one mistake and lunged when she should have ducked, allowing Emmett to get his hands around her head and pull swiftly. Edward bit, clawed and finally ripped Jane's head from her shoulders just as she had begun her slow torture. He sat on her torso when he was through to rid his mind of the lingering pain she had caused. One of the shifters immediately grabbed her head and started a fire.

Having disposed of two of the bigger threats, they made their way into the cave to hear Aro and another man in a heated argument.

"I told you not to kill her! Why do I trust anyone else to take care of things appropriately? And you…you're a leader! Bah! Bring her to me gently before we lose all hope of ridding the world of the tablet."

Before anyone had a chance to touch Bella's unconscious form, Edward ran full force at the man Aro was arguing with while Emmett took down the last two remaining guards; Aro was left on his own. He started forward in an attempt to reach the girl before Edward or Emmett could scoop her up but was stopped by the menacing tone of Edward's words.

"Don't touch her. It's over, Aro. Admit defeat and surrender, or die. The choice is yours."

"Defeat and surrender have no place in my vocabulary. As for dying, I would like to see a young whelp like you try to bring down the majesty of my reign."

"Your time is up, and when I throw your body onto the fire I will feel no sense of remorse for having been the one to cease your endless prattle about the way our lives should be lived. Volterra will remain the capital of the vampire world, but its rulers will have been whittled from three to one. Marcus is well aware of your involvement in Didyme's death, and we received word just today that we have his blessing and backing to protect the tablet as well as Bella."

"That traitor! After all I've done for him. That woman wanted nothing more than the status that went along with being mated to a king! She was useless." Aro continued to rant as Emmett carefully made his way to Bella's side.

_Her pulse is weak, Edward. She's dying. There isn't much time._

Edward's mind spun with the implications of Emmett's revelation. There was nothing else to be done.

"I'm sorry to cut your monologue short, Aro, but it seems as though the young woman on the ground is dying, and I'd never forgive myself for allowing that to happen. Emmett will take care of you. I hope you rot in the fires of hell, and the devil makes you his bitch."

As carefully as they could manage, Emmett handed Bella's broken body to Edward before launching his hulking form on a retreating Aro whose speed and size were obviously no match for Em's.

Edward sunk back to the ground and settled Bella into his arms, her bottom resting on his outstretched legs.

"Why did you do this, Bella? We could have caught them. You didn't need to sacrifice yourself when victory was so clearly ours." If Edward could have wept he would have.

There was no welcomed snarky return from his beautiful girl's lips; only uneven breaths mixed with the sweet smell of her blood as it trickled from the side of her mouth. His long silent heart ached with phantom pressure. He would change her though he couldn't imagine his life without the grounding presence of her own rhythmic heartbeats. He felt selfish for wanting her to be with him always and for taking her life but without this she would die anyway. Feeling the need to put words to his pain he began talking to her.

"You've really left me no choice, Swan. I can't live without you, and I'm not really all that hot on dying. Damn it! I know this is a truly selfish thing to do, but you can't give me an answer. I'm going to make you like me, Bella. We can be together always, and I promise to find a way for you to see your family and friends again, though you can only be honest with Angela. Forgive me for this, sweet girl."

His hand wiped the sweat and grime from her face as he lifted her breast to his mouth. If he had to change her, then he would take first from the one place he knew he wanted most: her heart. He drank greedily, only stopping to seal a bite and move onto another artery, knowing this would speed up the process, even just a little. With every suck and gulp, he had to fight the urge to drain her completely; his feelings for her were the only thing that stopped him.

Once the deed was done, he simply sat and held her, wishing he would have met her when he was young and human. As the hours passed and Bella became vocal about the pain she was enduring, Edward tried desperately to focus on what life together would be like. He had hoped to have the chance to court her, even though they had already screwed that up with the whole "hot animal sex" back in Washington. He supposed it wasn't too late to follow through with his initial intentions; they just wouldn't be following the same rules his parents had over a century ago. Lord knows he couldn't keep his hands to himself for more than a few minutes while in her presence, let alone keep his dick under control long enough to propose without fucking her silly.

At the five hour mark, his thoughts were interrupted by the soft murmurs of voices outside the cave entrance. His family and the remaining vampires and shifters had congregated to decide when they should interrupt his time with his mate, for that is what she was and he hoped that didn't disappoint her when she woke.

"You can come in. It's begun."

A symphony of shuffles made its way closer until he was surrounded by those he had fought beside earlier. A firm hand found purchase on his shoulder before the owner spoke.

"You did the right thing son," Carlisle said.

"I hope so, Carlisle. It wasn't easy but I was able to control myself. Is there anywhere we can take her?"

"I have a cabin about fifty miles away. It's stocked with linens and large enough for your family. You're welcome to use it," Maria whispered.

"Thank you, I think we will. I'm very grateful for everything you brought to the table, Maria. You are an extraordinary woman." Edward gave her a grateful look.

"Thank you for giving us back our souls."

"We didn't give you anything you didn't already have, other than knowledge. I think I'm ready to get her someplace a little more comfortable, Carlisle."

Edward stood, refusing to hand Bella to anyone, and began walking to the cave opening with everyone else trailing behind him. The fight was done, as was the cleanup. The only evidence that something monumental had happened were the fresh gashes in the walls of the canyon and the scorch marks on the ground. They had left their mark, and it had been worth it. Edward could only imagine the ghost stories that would be born from the sounds that had echoed off the rock that night. He was sure they would be truly entertaining and just hoped that dead vampires didn't like to haunt places.

-BS-

Fire. Ice. _Everything nice!_

_What the fuck? They play show tune inspired shit in hell?_

Bella's mind was awash with pain and really poor attempts at hell-inspired show tunes, it seemed. This caused more pain but of the mental variety instead of the physical.

She tried to move her limbs but it was if they had been set in cement; they were heavy…too heavy. Everything was heavy, and she could barely vocalize the pain sweeping through her. Somewhere on the edges of sanity she could hear the voice of God. She was sure it was Him because it was beautiful, and during the short bits of time that the pain receded enough for her to concentrate, it set her mind ablaze in light. He was singing to her, not the crappy shit the devil would have you listen to in his dominion but something ethereal and calm. Then, much too soon the pain would fill her up again and God's melody would be relegated to the outer limits. If she could just focus on that she might be able to live her lifetime in hell and not…

_Wait a minute! If I'm in Hell then why the fuck would God be singing to me? Dude gave up on me! This isn't right… _

Before her thoughts could continue she realized the pain was lessening and the heaviness in her body was lightening. Perhaps she wasn't in Hell, but then where was she?

-BS-

Time passed in short bursts: seconds, minutes, hours. Everything ran together as Edward sat trying to soothe away Bella's pain with the only tool he had at his disposal, his voice. There were moments when he was sure she could hear him; the perpetual mask of pain she wore would slip, and her mouth would turn up at the edges. It would kill him a little more when the mask would resume its place and the almost-smile would fade.

Most of the time, Edward hunched over her still form, himself in agony too, but there were the few minutes when her ramblings would take on a more Bella-esque quality. He only hoped she remembered some of what she was dreaming because he had to know why she muttered about Hell, fucking show tunes, and God's voice. He was sure there would be quite a story behind it all.

The only time he permitted himself to leave the room was when Rose and Alice shoved him out. They were determined to clean Bella up and have her wake looking "marvelously poised"-Alice's words-rather than caked in dirt and blood. After thinking on it, he agreed that it would be a much better way to wake up to a new world. When they were done, he promptly kicked his family out and told them to await him and Bella in Alaska. They would have to leave their cabin in the Canyon and avoid returning to Forks until they knew Bella would have no problems being around humans.

As the end of the third day approached, his anticipation became fevered and his foot tapped uncontrollably in such a violent manner, that it brought down several pictures on the wall of the bedroom. What would she be like when she opened her eyes? Would she remember him? Would she remember his reason for changing her? Would they still feel that overwhelming connection? Would she allow him to still fuck her silly?

_What? I'm a guy!_

He could hear each and every tick and tock of the clocks throughout the cabin. She had to be close to waking. To soothe his nerves, he began singing again and his fingers played the melody on his legs. He closed his eyes to imagine they were a piano instead.

He was lost in the music when something touched his hand, causing him to jump like his ass was on fire and put his leg through the floor of the cabin on his way down.

"What the hell?"

"Edward?" He heard her voice and focused all efforts on releasing his leg from the mangled wood, so he could go to her.

"I'm here, Bella. Are you okay? Do you remember what happened? Do you need something?"

She chuckled but remained lying as she was with her eyes closed. "Slow down, Trigger. I'm not sure about anything right now, but I need to know if we're dead and in Hell. If we are, then I believe I owe you a beat down for not only getting yourself killed but letting _me_ get killed too."

_Shit! She hadn't wanted to die but here she was…dead as a fucking doornail. Shit, shit, SHIT!_

"Well, the good news is you're not in Hell, and I made it out without a scratch on me. Which is actually more than I can say for Jasper, but we did find his ear so it's all good now. Uh, what was I saying? OH, right, not Hell. Um, the bad news is you are…kinda…dead."

"What do you mean 'kinda dead'? Either I am or I'm not or… OH, you changed me?" Bella lifted her head and opened one eye. Her gaze pinned Edward to his seat, his leg still stuck in the gaping hole in the floor.

"Yes?"

"That sounded like a question, Cullen. Either you did or you didn't. My guess is you did because otherwise I really am in Hell and your leg will be stuck there for eternity just so we can't touch each other. That would suck major donkey balls."

She continued to ramble about donkey balls, sucking, and the unfairness of the devil's devices while Edward's small chuckle turned into loud belly laughs.

"Stop! Please, for the love of God, stop talking about sucking any kind of balls! My dick can't handle that shit coming out of your mouth! I did change you. I just wasn't sure it's what you wanted. I thought you might go postal on my ass even though we're both on the earthly side of the pearly gates!"

"Oh. OH! So I'm a vampire, huh? That must be why the clock sounds like it's sitting inside my head. Good to know! OKAY! What do we do about…" Her voice faded as her hand flew to her throat and her head tilted back, her nose twitching. "What is _that_? It smells like really rare roast beef."

"In theory, it is. What you smell is the herd of cattle about ten miles down the road. You're hungry, Bella. That burn you feel replaces the human rumble of an empty stomach."

"Hmmm," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I suppose there's no time like the present to figure this shit out, huh?"

"I suppose you're right, my dear. Shall we?" Edward offered her his hand to help her rise completely from the bed. "And when we're done, I have a few more ideas on how you can stretch your new and improved body." He wiggled his brows suggestively.

"Dude, a proper date is dinner and _then_ nookie. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

-BS-

"So how long do we have until we need to meet your family in Alaska?"

"Erm, doesn't really matter. It's gonna take me a bit to fix the damage we've caused here. Maria would burn me alive if she saw how our fun has fucked with her cabin."

"Speaking of fun…" Bella wrapped her hand around Edward's wrist and spun him to meet her nose to nose. "How about we fuck with her house one more time? Ya know, one for the road and all that? Then I can help you fix'er up better than new!"

Bella caught a low groan, or possibly a growl from Edward before he was on her like white on rice.

"God, woman! You drive me crazy. How is it possible that we can still want each other after so much already?"

Bella didn't answer, unless ripping every shred of material off his body was considered an answer. Her hands worked their way from his face to his torso and then lower. She felt his cock harden and throb as she worked it over with sure hands.

"Bella. Don't. Stop."

And so, she didn't. Turning their bodies quickly, she hovered over him bringing her lips to his cock and licking the tip. Over the two days since her change was complete, she had memorized everything that made him moan, squirm, and grunt in satisfaction. The licking thing worked like a charm, and she received all three.

As she continued her adoration of his nether regions, she could feel Edward tug at her hair. It was annoying, as she was very much enjoying her current occupation.

"Cullen, if you ever want me to blow you again you'll cease and desist. I'm enjoying myself down here."

"God, I must be fucked up, but I need you to stop. I want to try something."

This one little phrase peaked Bella's wandering newborn mind and she looked up.

"I'm waiting."

"Come here and lay down."

Such a simple request shouldn't make her pussy clench, but it did. As a matter of fact she began wondering if she could crack a nut using only her vag muscles. That would be handy except she didn't need to eat food anymore and she was fairly sure her friends and family wouldn't appreciate the party trick.

She did as she was asked.

"I want to make love to you, Bella, slowly, lovingly, and without destruction. Do you think we can do that?" As Edward spoke, he peppered her belly and breasts with feather light kisses. In her human life it would have tickled, but now it merely worked to heighten her already smoking senses.

"I can try…for you, love. Make love to me, Edward. Please."

Her quiet request was met with a passionate kiss. Edward's hands roamed every inch of her body that he could reach without breaking the kiss. Bella's hands found themselves woven into his hair as she soaked in the meaning of his gentle caresses. He loved her: body, mind, heart, and soul. But what was more stunning was that she reciprocated tenfold.

Their thorough exploration continued as Edward made his way down her body, paying special attention to the swollen peaks of her breasts and milky curve of her stomach. The sensations were at once, overwhelming and perfect.

"Edward, please. Your mouth."

Her writhing body lying beneath his seemed to drive him further; but never so much that he lost sight of his original goal. He leisurely brought his finger down her swollen lips and teased her entrance before making his way to her clit. Her sigh of pleasure was his indication that he had hit his intended target.

With a smirk he bent his head, inhaling her unique scent. He flicked his tongue out to tease her clit just a little more before going in for the kill.

Moans of desire echoed off the walls and ceiling creating a symphony of sounds. She was close, and they both knew it. He continued his intimate kisses while tickling her entrance again. suddenly, he plunged his fingers into her dripping pussy and curled them to hit her sweet spot. After a few pressured strokes, she came undone below him, clawing his head and whimpering his name.

"I will seriously never underestimate the power of a finger again," she said, panting.

Rather than chuckle, Edward made his way up her body and stared down at her lovingly.

"And I will never underestimate the power of your voice. You could make me do anything with a simple request."

As he bent down to kiss her slowly, he heard what he imagined a sob would sound like.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really. I…I've just never felt so loved or cared for. Wild Kingdom-style fucking is definitely still high on my list, but I think this whole making love thing is growing on me."

It was just like her to take something sweet and perfect and joke about it. But if she didn't it wouldn't be Bella, and Edward loved all of her, snarky asides included.

"Shut up and let me continue to make love to you, you crazy, dirty mouthed, beautiful woman."

As he said the last words, he pushed into her with painstaking slowness, relishing the feel of being surrounded by her. Never breaking his gaze, he pulled out almost completely before pushing back in. The euphoric feeling of orgasm was building quicker for both of them than it ever had before, but they longed to hold on to these amazing feelings. Their bodies continued to work together in a rhythm only lovers knew; only their keening moans were an indicator of the closeness of their goal. With one final crash of hips and legs and the stuttering squeeze of hands entwined, they came together.

Making love was indeed going to be high on both their lists from then on out.

* * *

**All righty! I have a few rec's but should have a lot more when I post the epi (which I have started but is not done;).**

**http:/www dot fanfiction dot net/s/6294495/1/ Pistols and Petticoats by Saltire884...This is a wonderfully gritty story about the old west. Edward is a loner who wins Bella in a card game. The thing is, she's far better off with him that she was with her father. Great story with a wonderful plot!**

**http:/www dot fanfiction dot net/s/6195062/1/ We are Three by Withaplomb...Edward and Bella have a one night stand that is simply amazing but afterwards life takes over and they don't reconnect...until Bella finds out she's preggars. This is heartwarming and so far, low on the angst. I also happen to be the prereader for this lil gem so I think it rocks!**


	11. Epilogue Life goes on

**I need to take this time to thank the people who've helped me get this far. My twitter/fandom friends who have supported and encouraged me (Lambie, Elusive, Roselover, Hmonster, Kimpy, Irishtwisisters, and the list goes on:). Without people like you this fandom wouldn't be what it is. Thanks for always being there to lend an ear.**

**To my two amazing betas...Cullenluv aka c. anna cullen (seriously wonderful writer...go read her shiz NOW) and 2littleladies...you make me shine. I know I've thanked you more than once but your help has been simply amazing and on so many levels. You're concrit makes me smile and sometimes scratch my head wondering how I didn't figure that shit out. You are truly wonderful women. Thank you from the deepest recesses of my soul.**

**To my snarky & slightly nuts bestie/archaeology go to gal, Aspenleaf...you know how very much I love you. Thank you so much for listening, suggesting, laughing, and spanking...oooooops. I wasn't supposed to say that:) Seriously, thank you. Your help has/is indespensible.**

**Finally, to all my incredibly insightful and funny readers. You have all made this journey so very much fun. It was a bit of fluff amongst mountains of angst here on ff.n. *she says as she begins writing a dramatic period fic* I do hope to one day be back with more humor. In the meantime I will be on the lookout for some writers that tickle my funny bone & I'll try to share on twitter. **

**All righty. For those of you who don't remember where we left off (or for those that were simply blinded by my superiour lemon writing abilities...NOT) we left off with our favorite couple deciding to give the tablet back to it's rightful owner. Here we goooooooooooooooo...**

* * *

Life Goes On

Time passes; quickly or slowly is really of no concern. Things began to fall into place for Edward and Bella the moment she woke from her change, but the real test was waiting at the end of the road they were currently traveling.

"Jesus, Bella. Stop fidgeting! It'll be okay," Edward barked.

"Why didn't we charter a plane? I mean I know we have the money. Must you really challenge me to a dare while your face is between my legs? You know I'll cave every time just to keep you going!" Bella whined.

"You need this and you can control yourself. Just last week you were stuck in an elevator with five other people, and everyone made it out alive. Even that guy you said smelled like prime rib!"

The banter in the car continued with neither side winning. By the time the duo made it to their terminal, Bella was once again sweating bullets, metaphorically of course.

"Just don't breathe, babe. You fed before we left, and we have a day layover in Paris before we continue so you can hunt there too." Edward's encouraging whispers not only soothed Bella but made her a little wet in the knickers too.

Before long they were taking off and flying across the country to Dallas, where they would board a plane headed for Paris.

"Edward! Look!" Bella pointed at the small screen on the back of the seat in front of her. The minute her mouth opened her mouth filled with venom as her senses were assaulted from all sides. She pushed the reaction away and concentrated on what had gotten her so excited she needed to speak in the first place.

"What?" Edward looked around trying to decipher what had his crazy mate whipped into a tizzy.

"This screen tracks where we are! You know what that reminds me of?"

"Fuck, Bella. I thought something was wrong. No, I don't know what that reminds you of but obviously it's exciting."

"Just for that, asshat, I'm not gonna share."

"I'm sorry, B. I'm just a little on edge what with trying to control my own urges and making sure you control yours." He whispered.

"First, fuck you. I can control myself. See? I'm breathing and not eating anyone, even though there's a chic up ahead that smells like a fucking fruit salad. You know the real thing would totally gross me out, but when someone smells like it I wanna just take a lick to remember what it was like. Where was I going with this? Oh, that's right. Second, I was trying to share a little bit of my life before fangs with you, but you obviously don't give a shit."

Bella huffed in her seat and crossed her arms dramatically.

"You win, and I am sorry. By the way, I'm really hoping that insane newborn ADD thing goes away soon because I miss my clear-headed Bella. What does that screen remind you of, love?"

"Just so you know, that was the shittiest apology in the history of apologies but I'm too damn excited to care. IT'S LIKE INDIANA JONES! You know, on the movies they always had the map with a plane and a red line that showed where it started and ended. Christ, I feel like a real adventurer now."

"Let me get this straight. Digging up an ancient and important artifact, flying across Europe and the US-in _disguise_ no less, hiding said artifact in the Grand motherfucking Canyon, and fighting a slew of mythical creatures with another slew of mythical creatures at your side didn't make you feel like an adventurer but that damn screen does?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess. I mean the other was essential to right an incredibly huge and old wrong, you know? This just makes me wish I had a bull whip and a fedora. Fuck me, Indy is one hot piece of man meat."

Edward sat back in stunned silence as Bella continued to carry on about the levels of Indiana Jones's hotness. If he didn't know she loved him, he might be put out by her over exaggerated lust for a fictional character but he was secure in her feeling and his manhood. He could _so_ take Indy in a fight.

As flights go, theirs were all fairly uneventful. Aside from the occasional smell of a particular human they had little trouble controlling their thirst. The layover in Paris had been a very good idea, though it didn't allow them time to take in the scenery. Still, Bella was exceptionally happy for the chance to fill her stomach with prime French deer before making their way to Greece.

In her travels she had been to Greece, but never taken time to appreciate what it had to offer. Seeing it now through her improved vision made her wish for a memory to compare it to. The water was the color of turquoise in some places and in others, that of sapphires. No matter where she looked the brilliance was near blinding.

"I suppose we should secure a boat and make our way to Nea Kameni."

"Lead on, captain mine," Bella quipped.

After leaving Edward to secure rental on a boat, Bella wandered around the port in Athens taking in the sights. Athens was decidedly not the cleanest of Grecian cities, but it had its charms.

"Are you ready to go, love?"

"Sure thing."

Edward led the way to a nice and rather large sailboat. Bella had never been to sea on a sailboat and couldn't help being as excited as a kid at Christmas.

"This is so cool, Edward! What kind of boat is this? Can you teach me how to sail? Pahleeeeeeze?"

"It's a schooner and of course I'll teach you. It's not like we can drown if you screw up."

That comment landed Edward in the harbor but he came up smiling.

After getting safely out of port, without Bella's inexperienced hands, Edward gave her a quick lesson in terms.

"This should be a cake walk for you, Swan."

"Famous last words, Cullen."

"Sailing, by definition is traveling in a boat with sails. These large canvas triangles are sails. This is a rudder and it moves the sail so that the wind carries you in the direction you want to go. So, when you push the rudder like this it picks up the wind and you gain speed. If you want to slow down you pull it back like this…"

As Edward continued with his "Sailing for Dummies" routine, Bella's attitude became increasingly more hostile. She opted to give his ego a break and let him continue as long as he didn't start talking like Mr. Rogers to those damn puppets. That she couldn't handle.

"Do you understand?"

If Edward had been a smart man or, at the very least, a man of attention he would have noticed the reddening face of his mate. Unfortunately, his excitement over sailing such a marvelous boat mixed with his innate need to show off for his woman blinded him to the fact that she didn't appreciate either.

"Sure do, Mr. Rodgers. Were you an elementary teacher in another life?" Bella was barely able to contain her ire as she spoke. "How about you cut that shit out and just tell me what to do before you end up swimming with the fishes, capiche?"

"You know, you're really hot when you're all pissed off and inserting foreign languages."

"Really? Well why don't you try to find out what happens when I'm really fucking mad. I can't believe you said…"

The verbal sparring that was meant to be a sailing lesson led to more primal urges as Bella and Edward made use of the small bedroom on board. Repairs would be needed before the boat was returned.

Finding a secluded spot on the volcanic island of Nea Kameni was harder than they had imagined. The island was closely observed by several scientific communities, and was also a destination for amateur geologists. How Lilith managed to hide here and survive was beyond their comprehension.

Anchoring the boat off shore Edward explained that they would have to swim to the beach as he held his hand out for Bella to take. Once on dry land, they made their way around the barren landscape of the island. The vegetation that grew was sparse and brown, littering the island's black rocks at sporadic intervals. The question regarding how she hid herself so completely was quickly revealed as several small cave openings on the side of the hill came into view.

"Fuck me, more caves. Edward, is it possible for a vampire to have a neurosis? Because I'm pretty damn sure I have a real fear of fucking caves."

"You know, I bet if we turned this into an actual 'fucking cave', your fear might disappear," he said, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

"That idea has merit but I think first we should see if we can find what we came here for and give her back her diary…uh, the tablet. Do you suppose we just start going in screaming her name?"

"It's as good a way to start as any. And don't think I'm going to forget about my idea with merit, Swan. I plan on curing you of all your ills."

"Holy fucking cheese balls, Batman, my boyfriend is off his nut. How about we just have fun trying, and if it doesn't work, at least some good came of it?"

"Fine, but I'm 98.3% sure I can fix this."

Bella was admiring how attractive determination was on Edward as she followed him into the dark cave when he came to a sudden stop.

"Looks like we didn't have to search long to find her," Edward said.

Bella peeked around him to view the fabled Lilith and found her…frail. Her skin was ashen and brittle looking, giving her the look of the walking dead, literally. Her hair, she could tell, had once been lustrous and raven black but now appeared almost grey. Bella immediately wanted to help this creature, bring her back to whatever life she had originally had.

"Hello, Lilith. My name's Bella Swan and I have something of yours." Bella spoke the one language she and Edward had decided the ancient would know, Greek, and held out the tablet for her to take.

"Hello, Bella. It's a shame you found that piece of rock. I'd meant for it to remain hidden for all time. How very much trouble the two of us have caused, myself and the tablet, that is." Lilith responded in a broken version of the Greek Bella had begun with. Her conversation skills were lacking and with good reason. Her seclusion on this island would have given her no one to converse with.

"Actually, ma'am, your tablet has set a lot of wrongs right and given many of our kind hope they never thought they would have. There was a little trouble in the process but nothing we couldn't handle." Edward put his arm around Bella and held her close.

"You know, just your run of the mill chase around the globe and fight to the death with the bad guys. Nothing we couldn't handle."

"Would you share with me who was at the root of the ill will? I have a feeling I already know but would very much like confirmation." Lilith asked as they walked out of the cave and into the sunlight.

Bella watched the elder move with a grace that was at odds with her frail body. She assumed Lilith's body was the result of poor nutrition but her healthy gait spoke volumes. Perhaps her delicate figure was merely the result of the thousands of years she'd spent on earth. Either way, both Bella and Edward gawked awkwardly at the woman in front of them as she stretched and soaked up the warm sun like a cat after a long nap.

"Aro and Caius were the ones searching for the tablet. Actually, they hired us, as well as several others to search for them, though we didn't know it at the time. Edward and I just happened to be the ones to find it. I think it only fair to tell you that the only surviving member of the original three is Marcus, but we all feel he is trustworthy." Bella continued, telling the entire story from beginning to end, noting several times that her colorful language made Lilith flinch or smile. When she was done, the ancient one looked on the two of them with kind eyes.

"The lengths you and your family went for the protection of the truth gives me hope that all is not lost, as I'd thought so very long ago. I want you to know that I never meant for my selfish act to create the chaos that followed. Thank you for returning my tablet and for putting an end to the brutality of my sons."

Bella listened and let every word soak in before stepping forward to envelope Lilith in her arms.

"It was the least we could do for the woman behind the tablet of truth. I pray God is watching you now and absolving you of your past deeds. No one need suffer as you have and continue to."

Lilith walked the couple back across the barren trails to the anchored boat off shore. She noticed Bella's pinched brow when they stopped.

"Child, is there something bothering you?"

"Honestly it's the silliest question and I feel ridiculous asking but what do you eat here? There are no large animals, and I'm not even sure I noticed any rats."

"Hmmm, yes, no large animals to be sure…on land. There is rather a lot of fish around here though, so that makes up most of what I eat, when I need to. Otherwise I make do with the bats in the caves. Flying rats I believe I've heard them called."

"Fish?" Bella's look of total disgust did not go unnoticed by Edward or Lilith, and it was the first time the old vampire laughed. It was like tinkling bells, light and melodic. "Isn't their blood, what they have of it I would assume, kind of gross? And don't even get me started on the irony of you eating bats."

"What does "gross" mean?"

"Um, disgusting, putrid…you see where I'm going."

"The larger fish have plenty of blood and while it doesn't taste wonderful it does keep the pains away. I find your language very entertaining, little one. I'm not sure what irony there is in my eating a bat, but it is what I do. This island is my penance, and I shoulder it as best I can though I do make my way to Santorini on occasion. My clothes only last so long and there are those that would throw away a perfectly good tunic. Now, I believe the two of you should be off as there is a rather large boat of scientists landing on the far side of the island, and I must take shelter. Thank you again and remember me kindly."

Lilith gave gentle hugs to both Edward and Bella before they swam back to their boat. Heaving a sigh she turned to seek her shelter before she was discovered and thought about the lovely couple that had given her back the truth she had hidden away. If ever she hoped it was now that what Bella said about God absolving her was true. She understood his punishment and would live a thousand lifetimes in isolation to prove herself worthy of His trust. Perhaps fallen angels could be heavenly creatures once again.

* * *

**Thanks again, my darling dears. You are phenomenal!**


End file.
